Fragments
by starrylia
Summary: There is a secret which Death has kept from his son for years. But soon the secret will come out, and when it does it will bring madness and destruction along with it. Now Kid must make a choice: stay loyal to the father you've lost all trust in, or support the brother you have been taught to destroy. "You're finished, Death. Your precious son will be mine." INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. To Promise

_**AN: **_First Soul Eater fanfic, here we go! Of course, I don't own Soul Eater. It belongs to Atsushi Ōkubo.

So, to explain this: I really wished that more had been done with the fact that both Death the Kid and Asura are "brothers". To me, it felt like the manga just dropped the bomb-shell and didn't really expand on it at all. Which is a real shame. (Sorry for spoilers for anyone who hasn't read/is currently reading the manga). But, anyway, Kid and Asura should have had more interactions in canon.

I guess you can say this story is slightly AU, having a slightly different ending from episode 24 of the anime and diverging off from there. Elements of the manga will also be incorporated, some others won't be... Yeah, slightly AU in this story.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Happy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 1: To Promise**

Grim Reapers were nothing like humans. Food and drink was not a requirement for them, as nocturnal creatures their average amount of sleep per week would only amount to roughly ten hours, and they felt neither heat nor the cold. These creatures were practically indestructible, able to heal themselves from injuries in a matter of moments rather than the drawn out lengths it took for the human body to recover. Of course, reapers were not immortal – for everything can die _somehow_. There were certain loopholes which could be used to kill Death itself, which luckily very few knew existed. But, for all intents and purposes, these beings were Gods.

How more than one came into existence was another subject very few actually knew the answer to. The truth was that reapers were never born. There were so few around for that very reason; because in reality, there was always only ever one single reaper. One single reaper who made "copies" of himself, if you will. It was almost just like a lone God, repeating his life over and over again. Rather than creating an heir like any human would, a reaper would simply take a single fragment of his soul, a tiny piece of a huge and intricate puzzle, and remove it from himself. From that point on, all that was left to do was sit back and watch as that tiny fragment grew, expanded, created, and eventually became its own being. A new being, built from an old soul. Granted, each new reaper that was formed became a different person, with his own personality, ideals, thoughts, and eventually as they continued to grow, their own unique soul. But, to begin with, all reapers originated from the fragments of the same, initial soul.

Yet, if that was the case, how could fragments be so completely different from the soul they originated from?

Lord Death found that very same question roiling through his thoughts as he observed his second fragment… no… his second _son, _who stood before him in the Death Room. The young reaper who was so incredibly unlike his father and the first fragment, that Lord Death couldn't quite comprehend it. Death the Kid was the perfect boy, unlike _him_. A strong and powerful reaper at such a young age, with a sharp mind to boot. If anything, that intelligence was rather going against Death in this case. Kid was not stupid, after all, and it was only so long that Lord Death could keep secrets hidden from him…

That was how they had reached this situation. Something must have been seen or heard earlier that day, for once Kid had returned from his mission with the Thompson sisters, the younger reaper had stormed into his father's room, demanding explanations. And so, after a heated conversation, Death had finally answered Kid's questions. Unfortunately, they were not the answers Kid had truly wanted to hear.

"How could you have not told me, father?" There was a bitterness in his tone and an icy fire in his golden eyes which struck Lord Death to his very core. Kid was so much more than just "a fragment". He was the son of the Grim Reaper, and that glare of complete and utter distrust was like a knife in the father's chest. "The Kishin has been imprisoned under this school the entire time, and you never once thought of telling anyone? How could you lie to me for so long?!"

An impenetrable silence hung in the air for a few moments then. Neither father nor son made a sound, no breath was heard. The two reapers simply stared at each other, golden orbs meeting the hollow black emptiness of a mask, silently demanding an answer. Finally, after that painful moment, Lord Death cleared his throat and simply replied,

"It was for the safety of you _and _the school, Kiddo." Just like the ridiculous mask which adorned his face, the chipper and care-free voice hid whatever Death was truly feeling. The words had not been lies though; everything Death had done was for the safety of those he cared about and was sworn to protect.

Clearly, again it was not the answer Kid had wanted to hear, for his hands balled up into tight fists and he span on his heels, turning his back to his father. Curtly, yet still politely, the boy dismissed himself from his father's company and exited the room without another word. The moment he disappeared from Lord Death's sight, the reaper released a heavy sigh and tiredly ran his large hand over his mask. That had not gone well. It was for that reason that he would continue to lie to Kid. He would never let his son know the full truth. It was bad enough that this had slipped out. Anything else would cause more damage than it was worth. Kid must never learn about the first fragment.

Lord Death could simply not let that slip. Who knew what damage that information could cause…

Meanwhile, somewhere deep beneath the DWMA, a being continued to writhe in his own madness, consumed by fear and hatred. The Kishin, captive in a gruesome bag made from his own flesh for the last eight hundred years, was unrelenting in his blood-thirsty desire to bring revenge and destruction upon the one who had imprisoned him. He wanted to watch the world Lord Death had worked so desperately to protect burn and crumble around him. He wanted to see everything Death loved obliterated into nothing. Yes, the Kishin Asura longed for the day he would finally be free to eliminate his one true enemy.

His own father.

* * *

Tonight was about to end in disaster. It was supposed to have been a celebration of the DWMA's founding eight centuries ago, although admittedly, Kid had hardly been able to enjoy the party with the information he had received from his father still playing on his mind. Even so, the last thing he has expected was to be in the basement alongside Black*Star, an immortal wolf-man, and a witch, facing the very being Kid had only recently discovered to be lurking beneath the school.

The sound of a now-empty syringe rolling across the wooden floor caused a shudder to run down his spine, and his eyes to drift to the object. The black blood was gone, injected into the Kishin by that _stupid frog witch_. Said woman now seemed to be regretting her actions; a look of sheer terror covered her face as she took a few shaking steps back, closer to her companion who wore a similar expression. Black*Star appeared less fearful and more disgraced, having sunk to his knees the moment he realised he had been unable to stop what was about to occur.

Kid's eyes darted back to the bag of flesh, just in time to see it stretch and writhe, before lurching forward towards the frightened witch. The idiot woman, apparently now fully comprehending the severity of her actions, stumbled backwards ungracefully and landed on the floor with an unsympathetic thud. Her eyes were widening now to a size Kid had thought impossible to achieve, and she was unable to pull her gaze away from the emerging Kishin. At the sight of it, Kid himself couldn't help but take a step back as he gulped, a few beads of hot and nervous sweat forming on his brow.

Just because he was a reaper, the son of Lord Death, didn't mean that Kid did not know fear.

The Kishin, the cause of the fear and madness which filled the room like a foul odour, was now squirming on the floor as he pulled his skin over himself, trying to make it fit once more. The sight was sickening, yet no matter how much his stomach knotted in disgust, Kid simply could not pull his gaze away. The skin tightened suddenly, revealing a menacing face which was grinning like a maniac. It almost didn't surprise Kid; the Kishin was the embodiment of madness, after all.

But then, something struck Kid, as though a bolt of lightning had just shot down from the ceiling and hit him square on. The reaper almost felt he had the wind knocked out of him, and the room seemed to blur and sway. Kid was only vaguely aware of the Kishin and witch screaming in unison at the sight of each other, as he was still trying to clear his mind and push back the odd sensation which was now creeping over him. He couldn't quite put a finger on what it was, but the moment the Kishin fully awakened, Death the Kid felt… odd. It was as though something unseen was calling out to him, pulling him closer to the Kishin itself. Kid almost _wanted_ to get closer but… it must have been the madness wavelength. That was the only logical explanation.

At that very moment, the Kishin's head snapped up in the direction of the young reaper. The boy froze, breath caught in his throat, feeling the hot gaze rooted on him. The Kishin had seen him. That could not have been good.

The sensation seemed to grow stronger in that moment, causing Kid's thoughts to become even more blurred and confused. The Kishin's remark about his own nudity never reached Kid's ears, nor was the boy even aware of the Demon God fixing his own skin in order to cover his body. Kid couldn't help it; he was overwhelmed by the feeling, like there was a connection between himself and the Kishin. Almost as though the two were magnets attracting… but that wasn't possible, was it?

Liz and Patty were yelling now, telling him to snap out of it. Their words had only just been able to reach him, just enough to pull Kid out of his paralysed state. Regaining his composure with a curt nod, his grip tightened on the two guns in his hands and he held them up once more, aiming directly for the Kishin. Just as he was about to pull the triggers, something appeared directly in front of his face and hit him square in the centre, making him stumble backwards. A moment later, the force suddenly seemed to hit him like a truck, causing him to collapse to the ground without the opportunity to even put up a fight. The last thing Death the Kid was aware of before darkness consumed him was a pair of crimson red eyes staring straight at him, as though they were drilling into his soul as the Kishin's face twisted into a dark, disturbed smile. Then, nothingness.

* * *

The night was silent, dark. Not that Asura minded. He was a creature of the night, after all. You were on his turf when you were in the dark. That was where the fear and madness lingered silently, waiting for its chance to strike.

He sat alone in the clearing of the forest, miles and miles away from the Death City. The wide and twisted grin covering his sickly face was proof of how he was revelling in his success. It had been all so damn _easy_ to get away from the DWMA and Lord Death. Asura almost couldn't believe his luck. However, that wasn't the only luck he had come across that night.

Lord Death's son; the boy with the incomplete lines of Sanzu in his hair. Asura had known exactly who he was the moment he laid eyes on the boy; after all, he had felt the connection. As a matter of fact, he was positive the boy had sensed it as well. The two of them were bound as one. There was no escaping that fact. That was the main reason why his grin was so large, and why he was laughing, cackling manically at the moon. This was all _so perfect_!

"What a fool you are, Death," the Kishin chuckled to himself as he wiped away a single tear of mirth from his eyes. "I would have thought you'd learn from last time."

An image flashed before his eyes – the scene of a ruined Death City, crumbling away into dust, whilst two fragments… two _brothers_ laughed over the corpse of their fallen father. What a bitter sweet end for Lord Death; defeated by two fragments of himself. He did not like imagining, but now, that was a scene Asura wanted to see become reality.

Focusing his attention back on the grimacing moon once more, the Demon God released another long, hard cackle. His ribs would break if he kept this up. But, there was a reason to laugh. Asura had finally come up with a plan on how he would finally defeat Lord Death, one so twisted and beautiful, he felt excitement bubbling up inside of him as more details began to fall into place inside his insane mind.

Finally, the laughter died down with a sigh into a series of soft giggles, before Asura whispered into the darkness, making a terrible promise, "You're finished, Death."

The man straightened up and closed his eyes with content, the madness in his mind calming down long enough for the man to feel at peace with his decision.

_"__Your precious son will be mine."_

* * *

**_"_****_A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body."_**

* * *

_**AN: **_I really hope you enjoyed this. Admittedly, I'm a bit rusty and this is my first Soul Eater fanfic so uuugh it is probably a bit clunky, especially with the various time-skips and such. I just have my fingers crossed that it was okay for you all. Also, next chapter is going to be more eventful - this chapter was really just setting up everything, but next chapter the story really begins. Hope the first chapter at least caught your interest!

\- lia


	2. To Fear

**Chapter 2: To Fear**

_**Red**__. It was everywhere. Flooding his senses, pouring down through the cracks that had formed in the once empty abyss of his sleep. Like water, it trickled down and began to pool at his feet. The levels rose rapidly, a sickly perfume accompanying the crimson red liquid. Or was it a liquid? It was thick, almost impossible to move through. Sticky. Hot. A burning crimson red. _

_Panic gripped Death the Kid when he realised exactly how dense and copious the red was. He had to get out of here quickly, and return to the sanctuary of the darkness he called home. The black was so much more comforting than red. _

_The levels continued to rise, and now he found he was submerged up to his knees in the substance. Gritting his teeth, he tried desperately to move his legs and wade out of it, away from the overwhelming colour. But it was everywhere. He couldn't move. His limbs were growing heavy with the weight of the substance, which was stuck on him like demented leeches. _

_In a moment of irrational fear, Kid began to thrash around in a desperate attempt to dislodge himself from the vice-like grip of the scarlet which was smothering his senses. His thrashing only seemed to make things worse however, as the levels continued to rise. He was struggling to keep his head above the sea of red now, as it crawled upwards and lapped away at his neck. Desperate gulps for air were made. Then, suddenly, he felt something tighten around his leg before he was dragged under, into the depths. _

"Why do you try to resist?"

_Golden eyes widened and a silent scream was released as the crimson flooded into his mouth and lungs. __**He couldn't **__**breathe**__. But the more he panicked, the more his body felt like lead. He was being dragged down, further and further by the thing with its shackling grip on his leg…_

"You're foolish to think you could ever get away from me."

_The voice which resonated around the ocean of vermilion rang out clearly, its chilling tone echoing in the ears of the drowning boy. In fear, he continued to thrash around, kicking his leg to try and loosen the grip which held on so tightly. If he could somehow loosen it and swim upwards again, maybe, just maybe, he could escape…_

"There's no escaping me…"

_A sharp pull had the young reaper plummeting through the crimson world even deeper. Any hope of reaching the surface was quashed in an instant. The force was much stronger than he was. His heavy limbs were protesting too much when he tried to move them, and at the rapid rate he was plummeting like a stone, they would not respond before he reached the bottom. _

"Stop fighting and just accept it."

_Suddenly, Kid had stopped falling. In fact, he was on his feet once more. The red still surrounded him, but it now felt less dense, and emptier than earlier. A gasp tumbled out of his throat when he became conscious of the fact that he could __**breathe**__ again. Just when he had regained his composure, happy of the fact he was back on his two feet, his leg was yanked harshly. The movement caused him to fall onto his side with a pained yelp. When he tried to stand once again, he realised he was being held down by whatever had grabbed his leg. Panic surged within him. As he tried to pull away, nails clawing at and scratching along the ground in desperation, the boy finally sat up just enough to catch a glimpse of what was tied around his ankle and pinning him down in such an undignified manner._

_A scarf._

_A scarf made of __**flesh**__. _

_The scream erupted from his vocal chords before he could bite down on his tongue to stop its rapid escape as suddenly, he was enveloped by the scarves. They appeared out of nowhere, seemingly springing up from nothing to hold down his thrashing limbs against the ground. The boy continued to scream as they tightened around his body. Voicing his horror in such a way was damaging his pride and dignity. His father would have been disappointed to see him trembling in fear as he was now, screaming and begging for help as he continued trying to scramble far away. His fingers were bleeding now, the scratching and clawing from his terror-induced state having broken the skin and nails. Yet he didn't seem to notice. Like prey caught in a hunter's net, he was unable to recognise the fact that the more he struggled, the more tangled he became. For with each movement he made, the more the scarves tightened, squeezing his small figure. _

_**Please, someone! Get me out of here! **_

"Whatever happens, I will find you."

_He froze as a shadow loomed over him. Still bound by the scarves of skin, the victim struggled to cock his head back in order to get a view of who this other figure was. But, he was just about able to move enough to see. _

_A manic smile of rotting teeth met his eyes, which were widening in panic. The figure of insanity which now towered over him was leaning down to study its prey; that grin of his growing wide enough to split his face in two. Kid shuddered, unable to move or scream any more. His voice had left him the moment he had laid eyes of the Kishin. That Demon God was now bending down to move his face closer to the boy, so much so that Kid could feel a few splatters of drool land on his face. Repulsed, he cringed in disgust as the being of madness brought his face even closer. One of his calloused, rotting hands reached down to the trapped boy to brush his fingers through the feathery hair of ebony adorned with ivory white, in a manner which was almost tender. It made Kid tense up and try to pull his head away. The Kishin didn't seem to care – it simply continued to leer down at the boy. His lips were right beside Kid's ear a breath later, and a chilling voice whispered: _

"You belong with me."

* * *

Kid awoke from his nightmare with a start; heartbeat pounding in his ears and a cold sweat prickling the back of his neck. The boy took in a shuddering breath, inhaling a deep lungful of air in order to try and calm his nerves, before releasing the tension with an exhale. Seven more breaths were taken, until the adrenaline which had been pumping through his body simmered down into nothing. Having collected himself once more, Kid finally trailed his gaze over to the clock on his wall, before groaning in frustration.

Apparently, that nightmare of his had woken him up after only a few minutes of attempted slumber. It looked as though tonight would be another restless one where he would drift into sleep, only to be awakened by another nightmare. Kid hated it.

Two weeks. It had been two _fucking_ weeks since the night of the DWMA's anniversary ball, two weeks since the Kishin had escaped Death City. Two weeks since Kid had got a decent night's sleep. He'd been keeping count – in the past fortnight, Kid had only managed to get five hours, thirty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds of sleep. His perfectionism demanded him to keep a rigorous tally since the nightmares had started. Granted, Grim Reapers didn't necessarily _need _sleep (they were nocturnal beings after all), and Kid was positive that his father never slept. Unfortunately for Kid, he was yet to become a full reaper. His immature _human _body still demanded a few basic necessities of mortals, even if he could last much longer on the bare minimum. But even so, two weeks of only five hours of sleep was taking its toll on the boy.

Kid released a heavy sigh and flopped backwards to lie back down on his soft mattress. The springs beneath gave a slight squeak as more weight was applied to them, but the noise didn't bother the boy. His golden eyes were staring straight at the ceiling above, focused through the dark. The honey-coloured irises were glowing in the night, allowing Kid's enhanced vision to make out every single crack and crevice on the ceiling above. Trying to calm his nerves and diverge his thoughts away from the nightmares, he began to count every single minute discrepancy in the paintwork.

…_twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…_

"**You belong with me."**

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the voice continued echoing in the very depths of Kid's mind. A shudder prickled down his spine, gaze slipping away from the ceiling to stare out of his bedroom window instead. Through a crack in his curtains which had allowed the faintest sliver of moonlight to slip through and pool on the floorboards, Kid could see the night sky and the threatening profile of the sinister moon. The sky was streaked with red; the Kishin's madness wavelength slowly polluting the atmosphere.

_The Kishin. _Kid couldn't understand why, but he had been unable to get the demon out of his head for the past fortnight. Those blood-red eyes had been following him everywhere, he had seen the manic smile lurking in every shadow he passed, and sometimes Death the Kid was positive he could hear laughter echoing in the spaces around him. Then, every night, the Kishin would be there in his dreams, his _nightmares. _That bastard was plaguing him to the extent that Kid no longer even wanted to close his eyes. The moment he would, that leering face would appear out of the darkness once again.

Was the Kishin targeting Kid specifically, sending him these reoccurring nightmares? And for what purpose? To scare the son of his enemy? If that was what he was aiming for, then Asura was succeeding.

"Damn," Kid gritted his teeth in frustration and rolled onto his side, his back now facing the window. The nightmares must have just been a side effect induced by the madness wavelength. That was what he wanted to believe. Just like the magnetic pull which had surfaced when he had first encountered the Kishin weeks ago; that same feeling which, although faint now, was still niggling at him at that very moment.

Kid could only hope that the Kishin would be found and recaptured soon. Maybe that would finally put his mind at rest.

* * *

Everyone knew something was wrong with Kid. Liz's suspicions had been confirmed when she caught her meister one night, wandering around Gallows Mansion in order to check the alignment of the portraits which hung in the hallways. Well, that was what he had told her. But she had known; seen it on the smile he had given her which didn't quite reach his eyes; that he was being untruthful. So as not to worry her, probably. Liz Thompson had just known it wasn't simply Kid's OCD keeping him awake. He hadn't been sleeping at all. Something was bothering him, even if he denied it.

Kid always was a terrible liar.

Whatever it was had been having a noticeable effect on the boy. His friend's certainly weren't stupid; they knew something was wrong even when he brushed their inquiries into his wellbeing aside. The adolescent seemed paler than usual, whilst his eyes had lost their usual shine. Kid had become nervous, skittish. Any slight irregularity, a misplaced noise or a shadow darting by, had him on edge. The future Lord Death, next in line for the title of Grim Reaper, was much more jumpy than usual.

Initially, Black*Star had mocked him, boasting loudly that he had clearly been able to surpass God, seeing as said God had been reduced to a nervous wreck. Tsubaki had reprimanded him for that. Kid, however, hadn't reacted to the assassin's taunts in the slightest. Not even a single sarcastic or snide remark was thrown back. This was when everyone noticed that something was truly, seriously wrong.

It had been like this ever since the Kishin had escaped. Of course, Liz could understand why that would eat Kid up a bit. Knowing her meister, he felt like he had failed his duties as a reaper by being unable to prevent Asura's reawakening. But… there was more to it than that. Everyone else had been making an effort to try and put it behind them and move on. Kid on the other hand was stuck in a rut. No matter how much Patty and Liz had tried to comfort him, they were unable to pull him out of his slump. Kid began spending most of his time alone, locked up in the school library, avoiding his friends. The elder Thompson sister couldn't bear to see her meister in this state.

However, it was during Professor Stein's most recent class that she and a few of her friends noticed that Kid wasn't the only one with a problem.

Nobody had really noticed before that Maka Albarn had been avoiding Death the Kid for the past two weeks. Seeing as he was doing his best to keep himself to himself, it just hadn't really become apparent. Not until Stein announced one class that he wanted to try out a technique with his students – chain resonance.

Naturally, a group had been made of Black*Star, Maka Albarn, Death the Kid, and their weapon partners. After all, they were all close friends who had proven that they worked well together, particularly when trying to stop the revival of the Kishin. Even if they had failed, the mission had shown that those seven students were compatible with each other. Matching their soul wavelengths shouldn't have been much of a problem in the overall scheme of things, even if Black*Star's colossal ego could have potentially hindered them.

Black*Star wasn't the problem when they attempted to resonate, however. In fact, the group didn't even get to truly attempting the chain resonance.

"Professor Stein, I'm sorry, but I refuse to be in a group with Kid."

Just like that, those words destroyed everything. Maka's declaration had stunned everyone into silence (all except Kid, who just appeared to be completely unfazed by the female meister). But, that was that. Maka's statement shattered the group in a matter of seconds. She refused to answer even Soul about what her problem with Lord Death's son was. When Stein had made it clear that he wasn't intending to change the groups around, the scythe meister simply left the class without warning, leaving a bunch of very confused teenagers behind.

That was what caused them to meet at the milkshake bar for an emergency meeting after school that day – Soul, Tsubaki, Black*Star, Liz and Patty. The five teens were currently gathered around a cramped table in deep discussion about what to do about their two friends.

Well, Soul, Liz and Tsubaki seemed to be taking the whole matter seriously. Black*Star and Patty were too busy guzzling down a giant chocolate milkshake each to fully pay attention to what was being discussed.

"I just don't get it," Soul grumbled. "That was so uncool and totally unlike Maka. I always thought that she and Kid got along alright."

"Did they have a fallout recently?" injected Tsubaki, her helpful suggesting simply earning a shake of Soul's head in reply. Apparently, things had been fine between them, right up until the Kishin's escape. And since then… well… the two hadn't exactly spent time together anyway. They couldn't have had an argument.

Liz glanced at her perfectly manicured nails and chewed on her lip in thought, easily blocking out Black*Star's obnoxious laughter and Patty's giraffe song in the background. Those two really weren't helping in trying to find out what the problem was. They probably just tagged along for the milkshakes.

"We should confront Maka about it directly. I mean, it was just plain rude of her to act like that, if you ask me."

Tsubaki blinked at her blonde friend's blunt comment, before releasing a soft sigh. "We also need to try and confront Kid again as well, then. He's been acting so out of character recently."

"Tell me about it," Liz snorted in reply. "The other day, he walked right passed Patty's pigsty of a room and didn't even stop to freak out over how "unsymmetrical" and untidy it was. Hell, I haven't even seen him react to any comments about those lines in his hair recently either!"

That was clearly the most conclusive proof that there was a _serious_ issue here.

"Hah! Kid's probably just trying to come to terms with the fact I'm the biggest star there ever was, and that I'm surpassing him!"

"Shut up, Black*Star."

Leaning back in his chair, Soul let out a tired sigh, muttering something under his breath about the ninja's actions being uncool, before asking the group:

"So, does anyone have any ideas about how we'll get Maka and Kid to talk to each other, then?"

Suddenly, Patty bolted upright from her seat, knocking her chair down in the process. One fist was thrown up in the air triumphantly, an excited yet menacing gleam shimmering in her azure eyes.

"I know, I know!" the girl yelled at the top of her lungs, which caused all the other customers in the place to turn around and glare at the hyperactive blonde. Under their accusing stares, Tsubaki fidgeted uncomfortably, whilst Liz had her face buried in her palm and Soul was muttering again (this time about how he was "far too cool to associate with these people"). Patty, however, was completely unfazed by the disapproving glowers directed at her, and instead continued just as loudly. "Why don't we lock them both in a closet and leave them in there until they figure something out! And we can drug them with a truth serum! And hold their dads hostage so they have to tell the truth! Or if those don't work, we can use other methods and _make them talk…_"

Her words deliberately trailed off then, and an oppressive and threatening atmosphere suddenly hung in the milkshake bar. All the onlookers quickly turned away in fear of the rather… psychotic looking girl, who seemed to be busy formulating how exactly they would "make their friends talk" in her head. All the while, she wore a grin which could have rivalled the Kishin's in creepy-ness.

Liz simply groaned at her younger sister, too used to this sort of behaviour to be fazed by it. "No, Patty, we're not doing _that_." Tsubaki couldn't help but muse at that stage about what was scarier – Patty's earlier comment, or the fact Liz _knew _what she was talking about. "Although… maybe we could do the closet thing…?"

Now it was the turn of the older Thompson sister to stand up abruptly, mirroring exactly what Patty had done moments earlier and similarly knocking her own stool down with the sudden movement. "Yes! That settles it!" her declaration was a rather triumphant one, which was met with uncomfortable stares from Soul and Tsubaki. Neither really liked the sound of where this was going. "Soul!"

The tall girl moved to point at the scythe in question, jabbing her finger right at his nose dramatically and making the poor guy go cross-eyed. "We need you to lure Maka into a trap of some sorts. Tell her you need help studying in the library or something. Meanwhile, Patty and I will contact Kid and say that we've got a mission, and that he should meet us at the DWMA. Now, this is where you guys will come in!" She spun around, this time to point her finger in the direction of a bemused Tsubaki and her just-as-baffled meister. "You two are going to be waiting for those two idiots, and the moment they both enter the DWMA, we need you to shove them in the nearest closet or storeroom and lock them in until they figure out whatever the hell is wrong with them!"

At that point, both Thompson sisters began cackling manically, whilst Black*Star started yelling about how an awesome God like him could just punch some sense into the two other meisters rather than wasting his time hanging around school after hours for them to show up. Of course, Tsubaki was trying to calm and quiet her partner down, though her timid voice was easily drowned out by his obnoxious laughter, thus fell completely on deaf ears. Poor girl. It didn't help that the sisters were _still _laughing, loud enough that Soul couldn't even hear his own thoughts.

It was a miracle that something was eventually able to silence the rowdy group. Nobody would have expected it to be the sound of someone clearing their throat, however. Yet somehow, the sound resonated loudly enough to instantly hush the entire gathering.

"What's this about locking Maka and I in one of the academy's storerooms?"

Everyone froze, their blood running cold. Time seemed to stand still for a moment; nobody dared move a muscle or release a single breath. Tumble weed rolled by in the background. Crickets chirped.

Eventually, Liz swallowed and turned her head to face the exact person they had just been discussing. Death the Kid stood there with his hands in his pockets and a blank expression on his paler-than-usual face, observing the group with dull eyes. When he spoke again, his tone was cold and robotic, voice totally void of even the faintest a hint of emotion.

"Liz. Patty. We have to go now," he stated, making no other comment towards his friend's earlier antics. "Father has assigned us a mission. Might as well hurry up and get it over with."

And with that, Kid turned on his heels and left the café, leaving the group of five other teenagers stunned into silence. They glanced at each other momentarily, before Liz and Patty stepped away from the table, following after their meister and making their way to leave the milkshake bar.

"Hey, Soul," Liz called out over her shoulder as she paused in the doorway, grabbing the albino's attention with her much more serious tone. "Try and find out what's up with Maka. We'll sort it all out when we get back, 'kay?" Soul simply nodded in response, which was met with a half-smile from Liz. With a tilt of her cowboy hat and a wink over her shoulder, she was gone, Patty skipping along behind her.

* * *

It was night time when three students emerged from a portal of shadows, entering a deserted village in Ireland which was falling to ruin. According to Lord Death, the Kishin's madness wavelength had caused an odd spike in paranormal activity in the area. The village before this one had made reports of a strange presence and people going missing. Then, one day, everyone vanished. It seemed as though this village had followed a similar fate not so long after – the streets and buildings were completely empty. There was not a single sign of life nor any hints of any souls remaining, and it looked as though a witch or an "evil human" (otherwise known as a pre-kishin) had caused this odd event. That was why Death the Kid had been sent along with the Thompson sisters to investigate.

"Man, this place is creepy," Liz whined, shivering as she wrapped her arms around herself. The wind howled through the empty homes like a banshee cry, which caused the dirty-blonde girl to scream and jump right out of her skin. Of course, her reaction simply earned a bout of hysterical laughter from Patty and an eye-roll from Kid.

"Calm down," he scolded whilst he continued to observe his surroundings. "If this was caused by a pre-kishin, there's a high chance it's still here. So, try not to alert it to our presence, please."

Liz instantly went quiet, closing her lips tightly to try and suppress her whimpers of fear. She really, _really _didn't like this place.

It was _too_ quiet.

The darkness and shadows hung around them, their oppressive nature making the entire setting seem that much more macabre and bleak. Kid frowned, ushering the girls to follow him as he slipped into the shadows.

They roamed the streets in silence, Kid darting in and out of the darkness with his reaper abilities to make sure he was unseen, and to try and pick up on anything which might have been lurking in the gloom. Still, the deathly silence remained, and they couldn't find a trace of anything.

After what felt like hours of searching, Kid heaved a sigh of defeat and shook his head.

"Looks like whatever caused this has already left," he muttered with annoyance before glancing over his shoulder to his weapon partners. "We might as well get home and report to father–"

"So you finally made it~! Took you long enough."

The voice which cut Kid off was high pitched and sickly sweet. Instantly, Kid's head snapped up in the direction of where the voice had come from. Standing above the trio on the roof of one of the abandoned homes was a woman… of sorts. Her voluptuous body was white and completely bare, save for the red lines and Kishin marks which decorated her ivory flesh. A long, fur coat was the only item of clothing she wore, and it hung off her shoulders like a cape. Her mad eyes flashed in the dark as she grinned down at the shocked teens, waving at them innocently.

"Usually I'm a bit too shy to just introduce myself to strangers, but I heard from someone that you're very important!" Now the woman had her eyes focused on Kid, who snarled up at her when he realised exactly what she was.

"A clown," he growled, remembering what his father had told him. Apparently, eight hundred years ago when the Kishin Asura was at his prime, these beings named clowns were created from his madness and brought destruction along with them as they served their master. It was unsurprising that, now Asura had escaped, these beings had reappeared again. Knowing the threat, Kid instantly turned his attention back to the Thompson sisters, commanding: "Liz, Patty, weapon forms now!"

The girls nodded in unison, Patty giving him a cheeky salute before pink light engulfed them as they jumped up into the air. Kid caught them with ease after they transformed into two identical guns, now comfortably settled in the young reaper's hands. A flash sparked across his eyes as he turned once more, aiming the weapons up at the clown. She giggled at the sight, tilting her head to one side.

"Awh, that's a little mean. I haven't even had a chance to introduce myself, and you turn your weapons on me!" she sighed as though lamenting, before she was leaping down in a flash, her legs raised and aimed to kick Kid in the face as she drew closer. Kid instantly blocked the attack with Patty, using his other hand to fire a shot from Liz at his opponent. The clown gave a wide grin and darted back quickly, missing the bullet of his soul wavelength. "I'm Kaguya, by the way~" was all she said in response to his attack.

Kid felt his lips curl into a snarl as he launched himself at the female clown, firing repetitive shots from both of the guns. Kaguya easily dodged them, however, as she flitted about back and forth like an erratic butterfly, clearly trying to rile the boy up (and succeeding).

"You were the one that made all those people disappear, weren't you?!" Kid roared in anger as he continued firing and she repeatedly darted out of the way. Kaguya just giggled in response, making a cheeky comment about how hungry she had been, which only riled up the reaper even more.

His frustration was growing along with his anger when he realised that his usually perfect aim hadn't once hit the damn clown bitch at all. Clearly, he wasn't preforming his best in the slightest. His eyes twitched, a vein pulsing in his head as he adjusted his position to make another shot. But, suddenly, in a blur of white, Kaguya was in front of him and raising her leg. The kick hit him square in the jaw, knocking the boy back a few feet.

"Snap out of it, Kid!" Liz yelled in her gun form. She could sense her meister was lacking his usual form – his soul seemed tired. His lack of sleep was catching up on him and hindering his performance, but they couldn't let that get in the way now.

Just as Kid regained his footing, the clown pounced again and knocked the boy over onto the hard ground below. Kid winced and rolled to the side quickly, only just missing a ball of fire which Kaguya had tried to send down on him.

"Perfect," he muttered under his breath with a biting sarcasm. "She kicks _and_ throws fire. How peachy."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Liz was snapping again when the boy only just missed getting hit again by another ball of fire which had been sent hurtling in his direction. Patty was also growing anxious now, and she joined in with her sister's yelling.

"Get your ass moving, damn you!"

Taking the hint, Kid gathered up his dwindling energy and pulled himself to his feet. Spinning around in a flash and taking the clown by surprise, he began to fire a constant stream of bullets at the clown. The gunshots crashed loudly, resonating in the night as the spot Kaguya had been standing in was engulfed by a bright pink light. It looked like serious overkill on his part.

Eventually, the shots ceased and Kid lowered his two weapons, releasing a sigh.

"Did you get her?" Liz piped up again. The reaper didn't respond, simply waiting for the skull-shaped smoke to clear. When it did, there was no sign of the clown.

"…That seemed too easy." He frowned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kid caught a flash of white darting away. Quickly spinning on his heels, the reaper raised his two weapons, aiming for the retreating figure and ready to fire. Kaguya smirked at him, giving her cheeky wave again over her shoulder.

"That was fun, reaper boy! But I'm afraid I have to go, especially seeing as someone more important than me wants to meet you now~!" she called out to Kid, who gritted his teeth in frustration. _Damn her. _

Just as his pinkies were about to squeeze on the triggers, he was alerted by his soul perception picking up another presence, which instantly cause him to freeze. Someone was watching him, he could sense it. The eyes were glued on the back of his head, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. _It couldn't be_…

"Kid!" he heard Liz yelling at him in her gun form. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Shoot her now!"

He blinked, letting a small growl escape him before rapidly firing at the fleeting woman. But, it was too late. She was already deep within the safety of the surrounding forests, the few shots made at her completely missing their target. Kid cursed under his breath and lowered his weapons, preparing himself to chase after through the shadows.

Suddenly, a tremendous force hit him from behind, striking across his back swiftly and causing him to drop his two weapons from the jolt of the blow. A cry of pain and shock tore from his throat as the force sent him flying across the street. He was thrown to the farthest end from where he had been standing, and smashed into the crumbling wall of one of the deserted houses with a sickening crunch, the force effectively knocking the wind out of him and causing him to slump to the ground below.

"_**KID**_!"

The sound of both Liz and Patty screaming for him in unison only just met his ears, their voices drowned out by the high-pitched ringing caused by the sheer strength of the blow. Kid groaned slightly and tried to pull himself up again, wincing as he felt his broken ribs cracking back into place so his body could begin to heal itself again.

The dark-haired boy managed to stand again, one hand on the wall behind him for support. As he blinked to try and clear his blurring vision, he caught sight of the two Thompson sisters, now in human form, rushing over to him. Both wore identical expressions of concern – blue eyes wide and beads of sweat glistening on their foreheads as they sprinted over.

It was then he caught sight of it; like a snake slithering up behind, waiting for the opportunity to strike its prey. The tendril slid out from a shadow, lurking right behind the two girls and taking aim. Kid's mouth fell and he took a shaking step forward, an anxious scream ripping out of his voice.

"_**LOOK OUT**_!"

Everything went in slow motion from that point on. Kid bent his knees and lurched ahead, towards his partners. His hands were reaching forward as he jumped, ready to shove the two girls out of the way of the threat. Both sisters had stopped at the sound of his voice, turning to look over their shoulder in fear. But it was too late. The tendril monstrosity swiped at the two, knocking them both over like they were bowling pins. Kid heard the two release an ear-splitting scream as they were thrown away, discarded like trash by the _thing._ In his panic, he halted instantly, and could do nothing more than watch in horror as both Liz and Patty were thrown like he had been, into a stone wall. Unlike him, however, the force would do much more harm to a human.

Their heads slammed into the brickwork before they both slid down and collapsed onto the street below, unconscious. Already, Kid could see a dark scarlet liquid pooling around their heads and matting their blonde hair.

He was frozen, petrified, unable to even scream. His body was in complete paralysis just from the horror of the scene which had just played out.

"Liz… Patty…" Kid finally managed to choke out, his eyes never once leaving the two girl's bodies. They were completely still. Neither one moved. Kid felt his stomach drop and the colour drain from his face. "No no no _no_…"

Finally, his brain seemed to kick into gear. The reaper took a step forward, about to rush over to the two so he could scoop them up in his arms and take them home as quickly as possible––!

Seemingly out of nowhere, a figure emerged from the shadows and stepped forward, standing right in front of the two downed girls. Kid stopped instantly, his heart going completely still in that instant as he held his breath.

The figure observed the boy silently as his tendrils… no… his _scarves _twisted and writhed around him. Kid's eyes widened when he realised the scarves were what had just attacked them, and he gulped when the reality of who was standing before him finally sunk in. Now it made sense – clearly Kaguya's actions had simply been a trap to lure the young reaper out. She'd kept him busy with her fight whilst waiting for this figure to make his appearance. And now, he'd arrived.

His attacker didn't make a single move towards him; he just stood there and let his face crack to reveal a grin of rotten teeth. Swaddled up in a large red shirt and long trousers, his layers and layers of scarves wrapped around his neck and face, completely enveloping him, the man was instantly recognisable. He tilted his head slightly to one side and let out a high-pitched giggle. Kid took one step back instinctively in fear. The madness wavelength emitting off his attacker was like a foul stench which made him want to heave and turn his face away. But his eyes were rooted on the figure in fear.

Kid was trembling now, unable to control his body. Another two steps were taken back when the man took one forward; a predator moving in closer to his prey.

Slowly, the Kishin Asura raised his long, bony hand and wiggled his fingers at the young reaper in a teasing wave. When he opened his mouth, the words which tumbled out were unsettlingly pleasant and caused Kid's blood to run ice-cold.

"I told you I'd find you… _Death the Kid_."

* * *

"_**Do you want to know where the real hell is hiding? It's inside your head."**_

* * *

_**AN: **_Please don't hate me over the fact Asura wasn't really in this chapter at all. He's getting more screen time from now on, don't worry! Also, we'll find out what's going on with Maka next chapter.

On that note, I have to say I am pretty excited for chapter 3. Most of it had already been written out before this chapter was completed (for some reason I just got a lot of inspiration for it), so it will be published quite soon.

This chapter… ugh… I really hope that the middle section wasn't a mood-killer for the start and end. It felt like something a bit lighter was needed. Hope it didn't disappoint or anything like that. But yay for Kaguya the clown! I actually really quite liked her in the manga, so thought she could play a little role in this story as well.

Thanks for all the support so far! You guys are all awesome!

\- lia


	3. To Take

**Chapter 3: To Take**

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is wrong with you now, Maka?"

Emerald green eyes lazily moved away from the pages of the book to instead focus on a rather peeved looking albino scythe, who stood in front of his meister with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised. Maka met his expression with an eye-roll, before she returned back to her reading.

"Soul, nothing is wrong with me."

"Bullshit."

The girl couldn't help but flinch at the tone of voice her partner was using with her now. Letting out a small sigh as she placed her book beside her, Maka adjusted herself on her sofa and acknowledged Soul once more.

"I'm too tired to have to face your questioning now," she groaned when her partner sat down beside her. He was giving her that look, the one which read: _just hurry up and tell me what's going on. You're really not being cool at the moment. _"If this is about what happened in Professor Stein's class today…"

"Of course it is! Maka, what the hell _was _that?!" It was rare for Soul to raise his voice like he was doing so right now. Inevitably, it meant he was serious. "Kid is our friend. You can't treat him like that for no reason–!"

"No reason?!" the snapped reply came out of the blue, causing Soul to blink in surprise. Sure, his meister had a temper, but he hadn't been expecting to get any attitude back from her tonight. "Soul, have you ever considered that we can't trust Kid? That there's something… _wrong _with him?"

The boy didn't know how to respond to that. He blinked his red eyes in surprise, mouth falling open slightly at Maka's words. They were so cold and severe, it was almost as though Maka _didn't _trust Death the Kid. But that was ridiculous! Kid was their friend – Soul personally trusted the guy with his life, even if he was a bit of a wacko on occasions.

"I know he's weird about the whole symmetry thing, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with him."

Maka groaned loudly, before flopping back with a dramatic "_hmph"_ onto the sofa, allowing herself to get surrounded by the comfortable pillows. Her eyes remained focused on the ceiling above, never once drifting back to her partner as a pensive expression resided on her face. She didn't answer for a moment, as though she was trying formulate a response in her head.

Eventually, she let out a quiet reply, one so soft that it was barely above a whisper. Soul probably would have missed hearing it, had he not noticed her lips move and so listened extra carefully.

"I… saw something when the Kishin escaped." There was a hint of fear behind those words which caused a knot to tighten in Soul's stomach at the memory of that fateful eve. Maka didn't turn to him and kept her gaze focused above her, but she continued just as quietly. "My soul perception only just picked it up. I couldn't quite believe it at first but… there's no denying it."

The albino boy tilted his head to the side slightly, a frown creasing his brow.

"Maka," he pressed on gently. "What did you see?"

It took a moment for her to reply again, but when she did, the blonde girl finally turned to face her partner. Soul could see the conflict and confusion which lurked in her jade eyes. It was her reply, however, which made Soul's heart skip a beat.

"The Kishin… his soul reminded me of _Kid's_."

It took a moment for those words to sink in. The scythe shook his head, his frown staying firmly in place when he finally asked: "What on earth do you mean by that?"

"I can't explain it," Maka's quiet voice was lacking its usual oomph, as though whatever she had seen had truly shaken her to the core. "I could just sense this… similarity. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but there was just this resemblance and… it _scared_ me."

"Kid's not a Kishin."

"I know that."

The quiet returned to the pair's small apartment. Neither one said a word. They just sat there, listening to the sound of each other's breathing. Soul honestly had no idea how to respond to Maka now. It just didn't make any sense at all.

"Maybe your soul perception was just wrong?" he suggested a moment later, the words sounding unsure and lacking in his usual cool demeanour. His partner shrugged in response, and all he could do was sigh. "Look, Maka, you know Kid is our friend. Even if what you supposedly saw scared you, you can't let that get in the way." He paused for a moment, waiting for a response. When none came, Soul shook his head and continued. "You should talk to Kid about this if it's bothering you so much. I'm sure he'd listen and would help you see that there's nothing to worry about. I mean, there must be some sort of explanation for this!"

Maka hesitated, sucking in a small breath, before nodding her head just a little. "You're right." Those words were muttered, barely audible. "I must just be overreacting… it _can't_ mean anything." In a flash, she was standing on her feet and stretching her arms above her head. "I'll talk to Kid about it tomorrow at some point." Her voice seemed a bit brighter then; less worried and with a bit more of her usual spark. Soul couldn't help but grin ever so slightly at the sight of an ounce of courage flooding back into his meister.

"He went off on a mission with Liz and Patty after school today. Dunno when he'll be back."

A frustrated huff was released from the girl, who crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at her partner.

"Well then," she began slightly indignantly. "I promise to talk to Kid the moment he returns from that mission. It can't be too long, right? Hopefully, we'll have this issue resolved in next to no time!"

The duo came to that agreement, deciding it best to try and put the issue to the back of their minds until the reaper returned to Death City. Knowing Kid, the mission would have gone smoothly, without a hitch. He and the Thompson sisters would be home sooner rather than later, then they could sort out any issues and get back to how things were before.

If only Maka and Soul had known how wrong they were.

* * *

Death the Kid was the sort of character who had to be in control of a situation. It was where his love of symmetry and his hatred for the asymmetrical originated from – he saw order and control in balance, but chaos in irregularity. He didn't know how to cope with things which were imbalanced; things he wasn't in control of. Unfortunately, despite how much he willed for it Kid found more often than no,t he was not in control of the situation around him. After all, death was order, but life was chaos. The satisfying finality which came with death was a part of Kid's existence. In comparison, there was nothing much which could be done about the unpredictable, and life certainly was a volatile and erratic state of being which Kid himself still had a problem fully grasping. Maybe that was why he ended up venting his frustrations on objects rather than circumstances. Right at that moment, Kid was stuck in a situation which was rapidly spiralling out of his control; one in which he was also unable to lash out at some asymmetrical monstrosity nearby in order to express his vexations upon.

Standing before him was the Kishin Asura, the damned God of insanity who had been plaguing his thoughts the last few weeks. Kid had felt that hot, blood-red gaze all this time, and now they were face to face it was stronger than ever. That magnetic pull he first experienced in the basement of the DWMA had also returned, and it took every ounce of his willpower to push it to the back of his thoughts and try to ignore it. Every nerve and muscle in his body was tense, all senses tuned to their maximum capability. Reflexes had to remain sharp; slipping up earlier had left him without his weapons. He couldn't make another mistake like that again. Not when facing Asura.

The Kishin himself seemed rather nonchalant in comparison, as he rocked back and forth on his heels, observing the young Death God with a serene expression. It confused the son of Death, who still couldn't quite comprehend that the Kishin appeared composed, despite the fact the madness wavelength radiated off him as though he was a blazing star at the centre of the universe.

The young reaper gritted his teeth, spine stiff in apprehension. Liz and Patty were out cold, sprawled out across the uneven cobbles of the street. If Kid could just get to them and wake them up… Unluckily, a certain Kishin was currently blocking his path to them. _Damn it all to hell. _

He had to stay focused here, and not show the Kishin any signs of weakness. Father was depending on him to become the next Grim Reaper after all; if Kid was unable to stand against Asura, how could he ever attempt to fill his father's shoes? Taking in a deep breath through his nose to sooth his agitation, Kid shifted his body into the "Punishment" stance of Death God Taijutsu – legs together and arms crossed in front of his face like a crucifix. After analysing the situation and rationally thinking it all through, he had come to the swift conclusion that it would be best to begin on the defensive when facing the Kishin, and then move to the offensive when an opportunity presented itself. From their past encounter, Kid already knew that trying to make the first move would prove difficult.

Folds of scarves which had concealed the face of Asura peeled backwards, revealing the red irises and third eye situated in the centre of his forehead. Kid had to stifle a gasp when he finally saw the Kishin's face for the first time, though his eyes did being to widen reflexively. It was just like looking at a mirror image of himself! Even excluding the Kishin's eyes, there was still a striking resemblance in his facial structure, his black hair adorned with white markings… almost like _deformed_ lines of Sanzu…

_But how–?! _

Those scarlet eyes were focused solely on the young reaper, their gaze never once slipping away from his form, as though expecting a reaction. None came. But, at the sight of Kid's stance, the corners of Asura's lip twitched upwards ever so slightly for a fraction of a moment, as though the older being found the entire situation amusing_. _Which, knowing the Kishin, he probably did.

"You intend to fight me?" Asura posed the question with a calm tone, before allowing the softest chuckle to escape his lips. "That's hardly necessary. I simply wanted to have a conversation with you. No need for hostilities." His lucid manner of speech caused one of Kid's eyebrows to involuntarily twitch upwards with surprise – the way the Kishin was acting made him seem entirely normal. This couldn't have been the same crazed, paranoid monstrosity he had encountered before beneath the DWMA. Even so, Kid didn't dare allow his stance to slip, nor did he let his gaze waver from the Kishin. One momentary glimpse away with this being could mean the difference between remaining standing and a crushing defeat.

A grin broke out across the Kishin's face as he took one step closer to the young Death God. "Giving me the silent treatment, eh? Not very polite at all," he tsked and shook his head. Kid simply narrowed his eyes in reply, irises burning bright gold as though he was trying to actually destroy the older being with a death glare. No pun intended. Still, though, the Kishin drew even closer until he was looming over the shorter boy, his face bent down and invading the personal boundary of the son of Death so their noses were almost touching. That red gaze continued to bore right into Kid's gold orbs, clearly trying to make him flinch. Kid, not wanting his pride to end up in tatters, stood strong against it.

"Your glare really is quite fearsome, as to be expected from the great Lord Death's son. But I'd rather not be frightened now, so how about we make a deal, young reaper?" Asura whispered with a light tone, disrupting the frigid silence once more. "You drop your defensive stance, agree to walk with me and have a chat, or I'll…"

He purposefully trailed off, eyes glancing to the side. Kid's gaze followed, until he was able to see the forms of Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson just over Asura's shoulder, still lying unconscious. Thankfully, he could just about see the lifting and falling of their chests. They were injured, but still breathing. Thank Death. But then, Kid's heart skipped a beat as he instantly realised what was being hinted at. He didn't even need to hear the threat spoken, for the Kishin's scarves of flesh shifted before flying through the air, aiming at the sisters. Panic struck Kid as his eyes widened even further at the sight of the flesh, twisting into sharp points, ready to impale their targets.

"_**STOP**_!"

The weapons of skin froze in mid-air, only just hovering above the two girls. Asura's lips quirked upwards again as his grin grew larger, wide enough to look as though it would split his face in two. Once more, his gaze fell upon the young reaper, who had finally dropped his defensive stance and was breathing heavily. His eyes were sullen and ashamed; clearly his exclamation had been completely involuntary – a moment of weakness and lapse into panic. Silence fell over the two, Death the Kid dropping his head in shame. His ebony fringe fell over and hid his eyes from the Kishin. From his entire body and posture, he radiated defeat.

Liz and Patty… two of the most important people in his life… no matter what, Kid could not let any harm come to them. Or, in this case, any more harm. The fact that he had let his guard slip long enough for the two of them to get hurt was still eating at him. He would probably never be able to get rid of that guilt now.

An airy yet rather manic giggle reached Kid's ears, causing him to grit his teeth in anger as he dug his nails into the palms of his hands in order to try and contain his boiling ire. _Goddamn that bastard. _

"I'm glad we see eye-to-eye on this matter."

Asura's cheerful demeanour was sickly-sweet, almost making Kid want to vomit. A large arm was slung over his shoulder in an amicable manner, before the Kishin was leading Kid off casually down the street as though the two of them were the best of friends. Kid tensed, but continued walking in pace with the Demon God, allowing him to lead the way to wherever their destination was. As they walked, the taller of the two hummed a cheerful tune whilst Kid continued glaring at the ground. Father would be so disappointed if he found out about this.

"I've got to say," Asura began, cutting off his humming mid-song to make his statement now that the two were a good five or six streets away from Kid's fallen weapons. "It really is an _honour_ to finally meet the Prince of Darkness himself, Lord Death's heir, the future Grim Reaper…" There was a poison which dripped from his words, a biting sarcasm annunciating the word "honour" and an unmasked bitterness with each title recited. The tone had caused Kid's narrowed eyes to reach the Kishin again, hatred pouring out of his glare. "_Death the Kid_. Or do you mind if I just call you Kid? Your partners seem to call you that, and "Death the Kid" _is_ a bit of a mouthful."

Kid finally opened his mouth to retort with a harsh snap.

"What do you want, Kishin Asura?"

The Kishin stopped abruptly, causing Kid to almost stumble over his own feet at the sudden cease of movement. After regaining himself, Kid looked up to see the older man smirking down at him.

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Asura."

With that said and done, they stepped up the pace again and continued walking, further and further away from where they had left Liz and Patty. Kid could only pray that they would be okay. Hopefully, someone would find them and get help… His thoughts were once more interrupted by the awful voice of Asura.

"You surprise me, Kid. I honestly thought you would be more excited to meet me after all these years! Surely your father has told you all about me?"

"He told me that you're a monster; the scum of the earth who needs to be contained at all costs!" snapped the young boy, anger flaring up inside of him. The reaction he got to his little outburst was simply a mirthful sigh as Asura put a hand to his chest, feigning hurt.

"Ouch! That's rather harsh."

The hand which was on Kid's shoulder tightened its grip, and the reaper was pulled closer to the Kishin swiftly, preventing any chance of the boy slipping away if he had been considering the prospect. Being in such close proximity to the Kishin was having strange effects on Kid, though. That magnetic pull he had been trying so desperately to ignore seemed to spark and intensify, so that the moment Kid hit Asura's body, his nerves froze, leaving him numb. He was stuck. Not only that, but the sudden overpowering sensation of his soul being pulled towards Asura's own hit him live a tidal wave. It was an intense magnetic force; one which Kid could not escape from. _What was this_?!

"Do you feel that as well, Kid?" The smug grin could be heard in Asura's voice. "Fragments know that they are one in the same; the pieces of a much bigger whole. They're drawn to each other, just like a moth to the flame."

Kid blinked at the words, expression blank and clearly displaying his confusion. He didn't understand what Asura was even talking about now. Fragments? What did that have to do with anything? What _were _fragments, even?

Clearly, the Kishin had been expecting some form of an answer, for his face scrunched up as he peered down at the boy, closely examining his bewildered expression. After scrutinising every single detail, soaking it all in, a single eyebrow was raised.

"You do know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

All the reaper could do was shake his head dumbly, feeling utterly stupid and humiliated. All he wanted right now was to be as far away from this man as possible. _By Death_, couldn't Asura relinquish his grip for just a moment?! That could give Kid the opportunity to bolt, which may not have been the most noble of exits, but trying to face the Kishin alone would be foolish––

Suddenly, Asura threw his head back and laughed_. _No, he _cackled _hysterically. The sound reverberated all around them, bouncing off the walls of the abandoned houses, echoing into the night. Kid could only watch as he squirmed uncomfortably in the Kishin's hold. There was something unsettling about how this man could go from calm and collected one moment, to manic and wild the next. It increased Kid's instinctive fight or flight senses, and his body was screaming at him to fly right now.

A hiss escaped him as the grip on his shoulder tightened even further, a stinging sensation shooting down his arm as long nails dug themselves into his flesh. Clearly Asura had sensed his desire to run and was giving him a silent message: _you're not going anywhere_.

When the laughter had finally died down, Kid was still just as confused as before. The Kishin on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself and how the entire situation was transpiring. At least someone was finding all this entertaining.

"You mean to say your father never told you?" Asura's question had an edge of complacently to it, whilst a glint of excitement flickered across his threatening eyes. "This is hilarious! Marvellous! Far too funny to be true~"

Kid really loathed this bastard.

"Never told me _what_?" Death's son growled lowly, fury raging behind his golden irises and hate dripping from his clipped voice. What he wanted most in the world right now was to wipe that god-awful smile off Asura's face. Preferably with his fist.

However, before that desire could be fulfilled, Kid found himself being roughly shoved right in front of a dusty window. The boy blinked at his blurred reflection, before casting a scornful look back over his shoulder at Asura. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Ask your father. It would be best to find out directly from him."

A breath. A skipped heartbeat. There was a moment's hesitation. The Kishin had released the boy, giving him a moment to escape. Kid knew he was fast and agile. He might be able to out-run the demon of madness now!

_Now's your chance! Use it!_

Yet, there was still that hesitation. At the very back of his mind, in the depths of rationality, was an overwhelming curiosity. It burned in the pits of his soul, desperate for answers. Kid knew his father had never told him the whole truth about most things; the Kishin, what he was planning to do by collecting magic tools, the lines of Sanzu which adorned his son's hair, even Kid's own existence had never fully been explained to him. His father had a way of pushing questions aside, dismissing them as though they were insignificant. But, that simply left Kid yearning to discover the truth. And now… something else had surfaced, it turned out. _Fragments. _Asura seemed to know about it, so why shouldn't he as well?

He swallowed back the lump in his throat and reached forward towards the window…

_Wait! Don't be an idiot! _

Kid frowned to himself as his analytical mind-set kicked back into gear. Why was the Kishin so eager for him to contact his father, or for Kid to even find out whatever this secret was in the first place? Could it be that he was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between Death and his son? Yes, that was the logical explanation. Asura was encouraging the doubt in Kid, stoking the embers to ignite the flames and sowing the seeds of suspicion inside the young reaper's mind. Well, Kid wasn't going to fall for it. Pulling himself back from the glass, he straightened his back upright and shot a scathing glare at the Kishin. Said being was now leaning against the wall right next to the window, arms crossed over his chest as he held a casual stance, those mad eyes never once leaving the adolescent. Taking note of the glower being aimed in his direction, Asura sighed and shook his head.

"Why are you hesitating?" he asked. "Surely you want to know the truth."

"I'm not playing any of your games, Asura," replied Kid, keeping his voice strong and confident even through his clenched teeth. "If you think you can drive yourself between me and my father, you're surely mistaken."

Amusement flashed across the crimson irises of the Kishin, a low chuckle rumbling in the very depths of his throat.

"Oh? Well, that's a shame. Looks like I'll just have to make you "play along", then."

The next thing Kid became aware of was the Kishin opening his mouth incredibly wide, as though his jaw was about to be dislocated. A regurgitating noise swelled up from his neck, and Kid could only watch in disgust as Asura's weapon partner, Vajra, emerged from his throat and settled on the demon's tongue. The golden diamond tip of the sword was coated in saliva, and Death the Kid felt his stomach lurch at the repulsive sight. Aside from being nauseated, however, the reaper also felt dread. The weapon was infamous for being incredibly powerful – Kid himself had seen the damage it had caused his father after his fight with Asura. The hole which had been shot through his mask and body had taken days to heal; a considerable amount of time for a fully-fledged Grim Reaper. Who knew what sort of damage it would cause a semi-mortal, weaponless teen like Kid?

In this situation, Kid was clearly outmatched. Everything boiled down to a simple conclusion now; if he tried to run or didn't do what the Kishin instructed, he was as good as dead. Whilst the prospect of death didn't scare the son of Lord Death himself, there was the overwhelming dread that _if _Kid was to die, that bastard Asura would be more likely to devour his soul than let it pass on happily to be reaped by his own father. That was a situation the young reaper certainly wanted to prevent at all costs. Who knew what sort of power the Kishin could gain if he was to consume the soul of a reaper?

Pushing aside that train of bleak thoughts, Kid once more composed himself. His posture was rigid as he held his head up high – even if he was stuck in a situation he had no power over, he was still going to do all he damn well could to at least appear as though he was not in fear of the demon, and that he had a modicum of control over himself. His honey-gold gaze returned to the dusty window, and a moment later he was using his finger to write into the grime the memorable numbers used to contact his father.

_42-42-564, whenever you want to knock on Death's door. _The little rhyme echoed in his head as the numbers were written out, before the surface of the mirror rippled and cleared.

Kid held his breath when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Kishin's sneer was growing. The Demon God hadn't moved from his position and seemed quite content watching the boy from the side-lines. Vajra slipped back down into his throat, but he raised a finger to his lips as a clear indication for the boy not to reveal his presence. Kid frowned at Asura in response, his eyes flicking back to the window as he waited for the inevitable moment when his father would appear. Asura's actions were confusing Kid – why force him to confront his father, but stay out of sight for the interaction? Unless Asura had a certain plan on how this discussion would play out…

At the very pit of his stomach, Kid hoped that his father _wouldn't_ answer the call. Who knew what would happen if he did; though it probably would not be ending well. Unfortunately, his silent prayer was not answered, for a moment later the all-too familiar mask of Lord Death appeared in the pane of glass, the blue sky of the Death Room acting as a peaceful backdrop to his figure.

"Kid!" Lord Death's bubbly voice sounded incredibly _relieved _at the sight of his son, who was currently trying his hardest to keep a poker face and not give any hints of what was truly transpiring on the other end of the call. The boy swallowed and clenched his fists behind his back, yet kept his voice even and levelled as he spoke.

"Hello, father."

"I just heard from Liz and Patty," Death gabbled hurriedly. At that statement, Kid's shoulders loosened slightly as momentary relief washed over him. _Thank goodness. They're both okay. _He was quickly brought back to the moment when his father continued and, despite the normal cheery tone, Kid could tell there was a touch of worry laced into his words. "They said you were attacked. Where are you and what happened?"

Kid's eye twitched ever so slightly, gaze quickly flickering back to the Kishin. Said being was still watching, giving a gesture with his hand to hurry up. The young reaper knew exactly what that meant and, mentally scolding himself, ignored his father's query.

"Father, I need to talk to you about something." Despite how professional and calm he sounded, there was still a pause. The briefest hesitation, as though he didn't want to continue. "Something important."

"Kiddo, now's not the time! Your weapons are panicking–!"

"What are fragments?"

Kid's words caused a painful silence to hang in the air as Death's mask stared back at him. Even without being able to see his face, Kid knew that his father was probably completely bewildered by the sudden question which had seemingly sprung up from nowhere.

Death hesitated.

"…That's a very odd question to ask at a time like this, Kiddo. We were all so worried about you. What happened?"

From the corner of his eye, Kid could see that Asura was now frowning, a manic impatience flashing across those blood-red irises of his which made Kid want to flinch away. Yet at the same time, Kid felt a similar edginess. Something knotted in his stomach at Death's dismissal of his request. It was the same sensation he got every time he stumbled across something which made him doubt his father's actions, every time it became apparent that the reaper hadn't been fully honest to his own flesh and blood. Every time the truth was hidden or shoved aside, swept under the carpet as though it was insignificant. For a moment, Kid felt a pang of betrayal bubbling inside his chest. His father's reluctance to answer only strengthened his desire to know.

"Father, answer me," he pressed on, almost pleading now. "What are fragments?"

He was met with uncommunicativeness. Lord Death's mask had shifted into a slight frown, the eye-holes drooping to look off to the side.

"Kiddo, just come home and we can talk about this later…"

Suddenly, Kid felt a pair of hands gripping his shoulders tightly from behind. His body instinctively went completely rigid as Asura leaned forward so his head was right beside the boy's own, their cheeks just brushing each other so Kid could feel the scorching madness which radiated off him, and the Kishin's cold breath tickling against his ear. At the appearance of the Kishin, Kid could see his father's mask twisting from shock into an expression of rage. Yet, that only fuelled on his enemy.

"Aren't you going to tell him, Death?" Asura asked, his words dripping like poisoned honey. Kid's flickered his gaze to analyse the Kishin's profile – he could see the gloat which glowed behind his red eyes as Death's figure grew larger and more menacing in the mirror. But, Asura had the upper hand and he knew it. There wasn't much the Grim Reaper could do aside from look threatening when he was separated from his son and nemesis by a sheet of glass.

"Release the boy now, Asura!" Death growled with his real voice, the wrath boiling from it causing even Kid to flinch slightly.

"Come on~! _Kiddo _here asked you a simple question." As if to emphasise the point, Asura pulled the boy closer to his chest, giving Kid no room to move or attempt to squirm free. When the term of endearment was spoken so patronisingly however, Kid gritted his teeth, silently seething at the Kishin. Asura didn't seem to notice his hostage (or decided upon ignoring him), and simply continued his conversation with Death. "I suggest you answer it."

"Don't you dare hurt him–!"

Now Death's command had been cut off by Asura releasing a hollow chuckle. The man turned his head to one side, his lips brushing against Kid's ear and causing him to shudder.

"Your dad really _is_ scary," The Kishin whispered, just for Kid to hear. The young reaper could feel those lips curling into a smirk against his skin, but he kept his gaze focused straight ahead, rooted on his father. A moment later, Asura's face pulled back slightly and he raised his voice to respond to the being on the other side of the window. "I wouldn't _dream_ of hurting him, my dear Lord Death! Not if you're cooperating with us." He shifted, wrapping his arm around Kid's neck, who had to literally bite down on his tongue to stop himself from blurting out a probably very unwise snide remark. Despite feeling more anger at how this was playing out than fear, Kid still understood the silent threat made in Asura's actions. Both Kishin and reaper could sense the widening of Death's eyes behind his mask at the sight of his son in his enemy's choke-hold. "You see, whether I hurt him or not all depends on you. Now then, tell the truth to your _precious little boy_."

That was it. Now Death's son was trembling in rage. He wasn't just going to sit here and allow the Kishin to shove him around, as though he was some helpless damsel in distress.

Kid's head snapped to the side to face the Kishin and the pupils of his eyes narrowed into thin slits, clearly warning of danger. From this back of his throat, a low growl-like sound resonated angrily. It was a noise Kid hadn't made since he was a child, but it just came to him like an automatic defence mechanism. The sound of a reaper which would strike fear into those who dare came near. Even the hairs on the back of his neck were bristling. Instinctively in that moment, Kid became feral like a wild animal, telling the enemy to _back off_.

The reaction he received was not the one he'd been hoping for.

"Oh~ how scary!" Asura chortled as he ruffled the boy's hair with his free hand. "You know, only very young reapers make that noise to ward off potential danger. Supposedly it's threatening, but it just sounds cute coming from you. Even so…" The moment of jovial good-humour was over just as quickly as it had begun, and Kid felt a wince escape him when the Kishin tightened his vice-like grip around his neck so his arm crushed against the reaper's throat painfully. The older man was right up beside his ear again, releasing a bitter hiss. "You still might want to watch how you behave now, _Kiddo_."

The painful silence returned, looming over the three. Nobody said a word for a moment as the hollow eyes of Death's mask bored into Asura. The two older beings were locked together in a silent stand-off, neither one shifting their gaze from the other. All the while, Kid twisted and struggled in Asura's hold as his hands tried to pry the arm away from his neck. The child kept flipping his eyes back and forth between the insane face of his captor and the blank mask of his father. And every time his golden orbs fell onto Lord Death, failure emerged behind their depths. Surely his father was disappointed in him now. Kid was humiliated, frustrated by himself. What a failure of a reaper he was! Not only had he initially failed to prevent the revival of the Kishin, he was now at the demon's mercy. Kid stared at his father, eyes silently begging for the elder's forgiveness for letting him down in such a way.

The quiet was once more shattered by the sound of Asura clearing his throat, the sound ripping Kid's stare away from his father and back to the Kishin.

"We don't have all day you know. So, my good friend Death, hurry up and spit it out. Kid here is _dying_ to hear what you have to say for yourself."

Lord Death sighed, as though he had the entire weight of the world on his shoulders.

"…To answer your earlier question, Kid." Those words struck Kid like lightning. Lord Death had never once been straight forward with his son before this moment – the young reaper was finding it rather surreal. He didn't say a word however, and despite the uncomfortable position he was still locked in, he awaited with an undeniable eagerness for the rest of the explanation. "Fragments are parts of a soul. A more accurate description would be former parts of a pre-existing soul. They are pieces which have been removed from the original soul in order to create a new being."

There was another pause, a painful hesitancy. Kid could feel the Kishin bristling at the silence with impatience, growing agitated for Death to continue. The boy though was still unable to comprehend what Asura was trying to gain from all of this. It didn't seem to make any sense why he was so desperate for this conversation to take place. Yet, he clearly wanted Death to get to the point, for he irascibly growled out, "Go on."

And so, Death did continue after releasing another heavy sigh. "Reapers are created this way. You're a fragment, Kid."

If truth be told, Kid wasn't as surprised by this revelation as he probably would have been if he was less innate than he was. The boy wasn't exactly stupid – he knew that he had never had a mother, thus had come to a conclusion at a very young age that his father had probably reproduced asexually in order for Kid to come into existence. Granted, he had not been entirely sure how, but now that his father had explained this, it made much more sense.

However, he still couldn't quite get his head around what Asura possibly had to gain from forcing Death to reveal this information. Obviously there must have been some ulterior motive rather than teaching Kid about the birds and the bees of reapers.

Those ponderings in his head were so answered when once more, Asura pressed the Death god on further with a still rather agitated tone.

"Which fragment was he?"

That single question caused Kid's blood to run ice cold. _Which? _

The eyeholes of Death's mask were narrowing now into a fearsome glare, one which was focused on the Kishin. The tense quiet which followed caused Kid to feel his stomach to drop, as the cold fingers of realisation began prickling at his soul. He already had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"My second."

"No…" Kid whispered, the pieces falling into place and realisation hitting him like a tonne of bricks at those words of conformation of his worst thoughts. He felt stupid for not working it out sooner, yet still horrified none the less. His enlarged eyes turned towards the Kishin, whose stare was now locked on the reaper boy whilst he wore a grin wide enough to show off his jagged teeth. "It can't be."

"He's finally getting it," Asura chuckled in response to the boy's expression of complete dismay. "You've got yourself a smart one here, Death. Why don't you hurry up and confirm his suspicions?"

For the first time in his life, Death the Kid did not want to hear the truth. He wanted to remain oblivious, to shove all the facts away and keep them locked up for the rest of eternity. He didn't want these revelations to continue. Ignorance was bliss, and Kid was wishing he had cherished it more when he'd had the chance. Now he was stuck facing a horrible reality which he would much rather have denied. The fear of facing that reality was taking a hold of Kid in an inescapable web, so much so that he didn't even stop to think before he shouted, ready to beg for his father to keep the truth hidden once again.

"Father, don't––!"

Kid's blurted out plea was quickly silenced by a cold and calloused hand clamping tightly over his mouth, effectively silencing him. The words which tried to escape him came out as nothing more than muffled grunts. No matter how much he tried to thrash and pull his head away, the Kishin held fast. His grip never once loosened, even if Kid's struggling was starting to get on his nerves. The boy did finally freeze however when his limited personal space was once again invaded by the face of the Kishin right beside his own; that scarlet stare of madness instantly numbing every muscle and nerve in his body.

"Hush now," Asura hissed in Kid's ear, sensing the shudders which ran down the younger fragment's body. Asura could smell the fear which radiated off the smaller figure, and he _loved _it. "We're just getting to the good part. Please, Death, do continue."

Even if Lord Death would have considered hesitating in his response once again, the sight of the Kishin tightening his choke-hold on his captive was enough to get the words to come tumbling out quicker.

"Asura was the first fragment… my first son…"

The world seemed to shatter in that moment. There was no turning back from that point on. Everything had changed for Kid, and he felt absolutely sickened by it.

Colour drained from his face as his body went completely tense in the Kishin's hold. Yet his mind felt numb. There were no words to express the confusion, the anger, the _fear _Kid was feeling in that moment. And even if there were those words, he was still unable to voice them at that moment.

How could it be that he, the son of the Grim Reaper and quintessence of order, was connected to the embodiment of madness and chaos, the one enemy he had always been told must be defeated at all costs?! It just couldn't be! This all had to be some sort of sick, twisted nightmare he was experiencing! There was no possible way that this was _real_.

"Well I've got to say, this is quite the family reunion! Though I'm shocked this is the first time you mentioned that Kid here isn't an only child," Asura's manic giggle brought Kid back to the present with a jolt. The boy blinked his dull and confused eyes, releasing a heavy breath through his nose and turning his attention once more back to his father on the other end of the reflection. Lord Death remained quiet, his mask unreadable. His figure had grown in size however, clearly fuelled on by his bristling anger of how the entire situation had been playing out. Kid continued to silently stare at that mask, eyes brimming with disarrayed emotions, the Kishin's words barely reaching his ears. "Rather cruel of you, Death, to keep him in the dark like that for so long. Look how pale he's gotten! He's in shock, poor thing."

"Let him go."

The tone of Death's words was like an icy fire which would have caused even the bravest of men to cower, yet it only elicited a childish pout from Asura, who leaned closer to the reaper in his arms. The scene would have almost looked affectionate, had it not been for the hand which still forcibly silenced Kid and the other arm which continued to crush against his windpipe, whilst the small figure still tried to pry it away from his neck with trembling hands.

"But I don't want to!" mock-sulked the Kishin. "Can't I have some family bonding time with my _dear_ little brother~? You've kept us separated for so long, it's only fair." With each sentence, Asura leaned forward a little further so his face was right beside Kid's, despite the muffled protests the action received.

"Don't dig an even deeper grave for yourself! Release him _now_!" Even that mask could not hide the ferocity that was pouring out of Death now, as the skull face twisted into a furious and threatening expression.

Maybe that had done the trick to frighten Death's nemesis for just a moment, as the Kishin loosened his grip ever so slightly on the young fragment. Kid took the opportunity whilst it presented itself however, and quickly pulled the arm further away from his neck to loosen the choke-hold, whilst his head manage to jerk back and away from the smothering palm, allowing him to quickly blurt out in a blind frenzy fuelled on by fear and confusion:

"You're _lying_!"

Now it was Asura's turn to wear a confused expression, as he blinked down at the smaller fragment with perplexed eyes. Kid continued to shout however as he glared up at the Kishin, all the pent-up frustrations suddenly free and boiling over, eager to be expressed in pure indignation.

"You can't _possibly_ be father's child! How could a monstrosity like you come from father's soul?! Unhand me now, you vile, revolting _piece of shit_!"

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. There was a pounding in Kid's ears as he instantly regretted the words he had cried out without thinking through. After all, the darkness that was fogging up the Kishin's eyes now as he stared down at the adolescent reaper clearly warned of impending danger – that Kid had over-stepped the line. But when Asura finally did speak, his voice was surprisingly serene. Almost _too _calm.

"I think we're going to be taking our leave now. Say goodbye to father, Kid."

Those beautiful golden orbs widened in panic when Kid instantly realised what Asura had meant by that. The boy turned his head to face the reflection of his father once more, unable to conceal the fear that resided on his face. Death also seemed to go into a panic, for the anger had melted away from the ivory mask and now, the empty black eyeholes were growing larger, mirroring Kid's own expression.

"Father––!"

Before he had a chance to let any more words out, one of the scarves of flesh shot forward and smashed through the window, instantly shattering the connection and causing Lord Death's image to immediately disappear. Everything went by in a blur from that point on.

Asura's arm slipped away from Kid's small neck and instead, the hand was reaching up to grab him by his ebony hair violently. The reaper didn't get a chance to react, as with one tremendous burst of strength, the God of madness slammed his head into the wall beside them. The action was done with such brutal force, a normal human would have most likely been killed. Luckily for Kid, he wasn't exactly human. But even that didn't prevent him from being instantly knocked out by the blow the moment his head made contact with the stone.

Kid's body went limp, slumping forward without dignity. A pair of arms caught it before it hit the ground and pulled it up into a cradling position, the head of the reaper rested against the Kishin's chest. Long fingers swept through his raven black hair, brushing it from his face and exposing the boy's profile. If it wasn't for the trickle of crimson blood which slid down his porcelain white skin from his head to his jawline, it would have seemed as though Kid was simply in a peaceful slumber.

Observing the boy without a single word, Asura allowed a dark smile to creep onto his face before the folds of his scarves shifted and covered his head once again. Making sure to hold the child tightly so as not to drop him, as though he was a fragile doll made of the finest and most delicate china, the Kishin stood and looked up at the moon. It was cackling down at them, as it always did.

Shadows and darkness twisted and writhed around the two, engulfing them. When the light of the moon finally hit the spot where they had once been standing, there was not a trace remaining of either fragment.

The night was silent.

* * *

"_**You should be careful about hiding behind authority and blinding yourself to the realities of the world. It might cost you your life someday. Or somebody else's." **_

* * *

_**AN: **_My God, Asura had a hell of a lot of dialogue in this chapter. He clearly just loves the sound of his own voice. But yes, finally an entire chapter of Kid and Asura interacting! Though their relationship isn't exactly off to the best start. Fingers crossed things will improve for these brothers soon, eh?

I really hope you have enjoyed this update, though. Things will start to get a bit more intense from here on in. Funny thing about this chapter – its total length is about 25% longer than an extended research paper I had to write as part of my diploma program. This fic just keeps on getting longer and longer… Might just have a full-blown novel by the end of it!

Anyway, as per usual, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I'll see you at the next update!

\- lia


	4. To Mourn

**Chapter 4: To Mourn**

It's easy to forget some moments of life when one has been around for centuries. Sometimes, memories just became muddled and blurred together. Days meant nothing to grim reapers – they were just snapshots in their long lives which could disappear as quickly as they occurred. Yet, even so, there were still moments which Lord Death _could _remember, as vividly as though it was playing out right in front of him. Some of those single instants in time were priceless, and would never fade from memory.

One such example was the first time Lord Death held his youngest child in his hands, whilst large eyes of liquid gold, so full of innocence, stared up at the father in awe. The boy was adorable, with a single cute line of Sanzu that only just fit in his short and feathery black hair. His wide-eyed expression had melted away into excited babbles as the baby had reached up with his tiny, fragile hands and pulled the mask away from Lord Death's face – a moment which caused both father and son to smile at each other like a couple of idiots, yet their expressions contained as much warmth as the sun which burned above Death City. The giggles from the little boy would still occasionally echo in Death's thoughts to this day. When they did, they brought a satisfying comfort inside of the Grim Reaper's soul which always made him smile.

Unfortunately, there were some moments which were not cherished, yet which could never be forgotten. That fateful evening ended up becoming one of them. If only he hadn't sent Kid off on that particular mission. Maybe, just maybe, those moments would have never occurred.

It all began when Death, his loyal death scythe Spirit Albarn, Sid Barett and Mira Nygus had been discussing various strategies on how the DWMA could defeat the newly-escaped Kishin over cups of green tea, when the group were alerted to a call all of a sudden by a soft chime echoing in the room. The mirror in the Death Room sprung to life a moment later. As per usual, the God had begun to address whoever had called with his usual chirpy greeting, but that quickly trailed off when he saw the state of who was on the other end of the mirror.

Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson – Kid's weapon teammates. The two were both huddled together in a dark street, staring into a tiny screen; most likely Liz's compact which she kept on her at all times. Both sisters were worse for wear, and the sight of them received an audible gasp from the three humans in the Death Room. Even the bright expression of Lord Death's mask had dropped. Their faces were tear-streaked, whilst their usually perfect blonde heads of hair were matted and clumped with dried blood. Surprisingly it was Patty who had clearly made the call, as the teachers could just make out Liz sitting slightly behind her in a wild panic, cradling one arm which was horribly crooked and twisted – clearly broken.

"Lord Death, h-help," Patty's voice broke, chocking on a sob. Her usually bright tone sounded feeble and vulnerable, whilst those sparkling eyes of hers were watery. "Lizzy won't calm down and I'm scared…" The younger Thompson sister sounded as though her words were laboured and she held her side, face contorting in pain. A sharp inhale of breath was made, a wince. It caused something inside Lord Death to knot painfully.

"Patty, what happened?" Although he sounded calm and stern, Lord Death was panicking inside. Those two girls were like the daughters he had never had. They had become an important part of the Death family unit, and seeing them hurt like that was heart-breaking. But what was more concerning was the lack of sign of a certain son of his. "Where's Kid?"

Before Patty had a chance to respond, the compact mirror was snatched away by a wild-eyed Liz. The tears were bubbling out of her eyes freely, and when she spoke Lord Death could hear the hysteria in her voice as clear as crystal cut glass.

"Something attacked us," she babbled, eyes darting around nervously. "Oh Death, it was horrible. Kid was attacked so we tried to help him but then we were both knocked out and when we woke up Kid was gone and—!"

"Liz!" Death hadn't meant to snap at her, but it seemed to be the only way to quieten the nervous girl. "Deep breaths now. Calm down and tell me what or who it was that attacked you."

"I… I don't know. It was this weird thing, like a tentacle or limb or something…"

"It looked like a scarf to me."

Patty's words caused everyone in the Death Room to feel their blood run cold. Nobody needed to elaborate on her point; hopefully she had made a mistake but… they all had a feeling they knew exactly who the culprit of Kid's disappearance was.

Spirit swallowed, a hot sweat prickling the back of his neck. Sid and Nygus remained quiet, but glanced at each other nervously. Lord Death didn't move an inch, his gaze focused solely on the Thompson sisters. But, the adults with him felt the temperature drop significantly, as though they could sense the same worry they felt emitting from the God before them. The silence which followed was thick and heavy, so much so that Spirit could hear Liz and Patty's laboured breaths through the mirror. They all stood like that for a good minute or two, waiting patiently for some sort of reaction from Lord Death. What they eventually got surprised them.

"Okie dokie, then!" His chipper tone had returned, and the reaper seemed to be bouncing slightly on the spot as he spoke. It surprised Sid, Nygus, and the girls – they couldn't comprehend how he could act all sunny when they were all suspecting the worst. But Spirit Albarn was able to pick up on something; that cheery façade was forced. Having spent so much time with his meister, the death scythe had learnt to be able to tell exactly what Death was feeling, even if he did wear a mask all the time. "Here's what we're going to do. Liz and Patty, you girls sit tight right there. Sid and Nygus are just on their way to pick you up now. We'll get you back to the DWMA, and Nygus can patch you both up ASAP!"

With his large hand, he gave the two girls a peace sign before glancing back over his shoulder and motioning to the zombie teacher and his weapon. A moment later, a portal of shadows appeared on the far wall. Taking the hint, Sid nodded to Lord Death and ran through it, his partner following along behind.

"But Lord Death, what about Kid?!" Liz snapped at the elder; which caused him to return his gaze to the mirror; her voice raised an octave and full of panic. He waved a hand dismissively in reply.

"I'm sure Kiddo is one hundred percent fine~! I'll call him when you two are back here and safe, okay? See ya real soon!"

With the sight of the two DWMA teachers appearing behind the girls, Lord Death visibly relaxed. They were in safe hands now. He dropped the call before either Thompson had a chance to respond, and a moment later Sid and Nygus were entering the Death Room again through the same shadow with both girls in tow. Spirit released a heavy sigh of relief as the girls were rushed out of the room, off to the school infirmary. Once they were out of earshot, the death scythe turned to his meister.

"Lord Death, do you really think that…?"

"Patty might have made a mistake. Liz did say they were both knocked out. For all we know, Patty could be muddled up due to a concussion." Death's dismissive response still didn't exactly sit well with Spirit. He could still hear that indistinct, underlining anxiety when the God spoke. It was faint, but still there.

The redheaded man was about to open his mouth to retort, when he was cut off by Lord Death telling him to go and check on the Thompson sisters. The man had hesitated for a moment, but eventually excused himself from the Death Room.

For a brief moment, Lord Death was alone. It gave him a short time to rationally think over what had happened. There was no way Kid and the girls could have been attacked by _him _–_ he _could not have possibly known who Kid was, nor was _he_ sane enough to consider targeting the boy if he did know. No, it was not possible. There was no way…

His train of thought was interrupted by another soft chiming sound. Lord Death span around to face his mirror once more, his reflection rippling away to reveal his most recent caller.

"Kid!"

"Hello, father."

No words could simply describe the momentary relief which had surface from the older being at that stage. The boy, _his _son, was unharmed. Aside from his clothes being a bit crumpled and slightly tattered (probably from the attack the sisters had mentioned), Death the Kid was standing there, in one piece and without any sign of whoever had attacked him.

But, that relief didn't last long. In fact, the conversation quickly turned so that Death was filled with confusion and suspicion. Kid was suddenly questioning him about fragments, of all things. That was certainly something he didn't want to discuss over a call like this. So he tried to put it off, divert the conversation and convince Kid to return home.

Lord Death couldn't understand why his son was being so adamant about trying to find out.

Not until Asura appeared.

From that point on, everything deteriorated. Death couldn't do much more than helplessly watch the situation play out, forced to answer the questions directed at him. His tone was cold, his form jagged, yet that was the extent of the influence he had. All he could do was hope to intimidate Asura, show him the threat of what he'd be forced to face if the Kishin did not release his boy. But, nothing seemed to be playing out in Death or Kid's favour at all.

Eventually the entire truth had been revealed. Certainly, this was not how Death had been planning on telling Kid about his connection to Asura. In all honesty, he probably never would have. Unfortunately, the metaphorical cat had been dragged out of its bag, and now Death was having to deal with the consequences of it.

He could see the news had left his son in a complete mess. Kid's eyes, windows to the soul, easily showed the mixture of emotions flooding through him. And Asura continued to gloat, clearly enjoying the suffering he was causing.

Then Kid snapped, causing Death to mentally flinch. It was a foolish move the boy had made, the father silently praying for him to _shut up _before he made the situation any worse for himself. But it was too late.

"I think we're going to be taking our leave now," Asura had responded to Kid's outburst calmly, his voice soft. "Say goodbye to father, Kid."

The moment he saw the complete sense of fear in his son's widened eyes, Death was instantly consumed by a disgusting cocktail of human emotions. Regret. Anger. Pain. Yet there was one emotion he never thought he would feel ever again as a Grim Reaper which consumed his soul the most.

**Fear. **

All he wanted to do right there and then was to reach forward through the mirror and pluck his little boy out of Asura's grip. He wanted to hold Kid, to smother him in love and embrace him tightly. To comfort him; let him know everything would be alright. Show him he was safe.

Lord Death couldn't do anything, even despite his paternal instincts.

The last thing he saw was _his little boy_ letting out one last desperate cry for his father, whilst Asura grinned manically back at Lord Death. The message his smug expression was getting across was clear:

_I win, Death._

A scarf shot forward, and the mirror went black.

It was then that Lord Death realised this was a moment he would never forget – the moment he had failed to protect his son. For the first time in his long life, he experienced the same human emotions other fathers had. Finally, he understood the pain and grief of parents he had encountered before, whose children's souls he had reaped. He had just watched his own son getting ripped away from him in a horrifyingly similar fashion.

The fury swelled, roiling and mixing with the fear. It was about to erupt, those emotions clouding his thoughts and preventing him from thinking straight.

"_**KID**_!"

It was futile, he knew, but he couldn't suppress it. The scream was desperate, as though Death was hoping it would be enough to bring his son home. Maybe, just maybe, he could will him to return… So he continued crying out for his child, his voice resonating around him, swelling and filling the room. The shouts caused Spirit to return to his meister's side in a panic frenzy, his face pale with nerves and worry. Desperately, the human began questioning his boss, trying to find out what had happened to Kid.

Lord Death didn't respond, going completely silent.

Kid was gone. Gone forever, for all he knew. What if he would never see his child again? Had today been the last day he had got to tell the young reaper how adorable his stripes were, how proud he was of him, how much he loved him?

…He already regretted not telling Kid that more often.

The child was in the clutches of a powerful monster – insanity personified. Asura had found Death's weak spot and specifically targeted it. And now… his son was lost. Some would say it was pessimistic, but knowing Asura, the thoughts Death had were more _realistic. _

His son would probably never come back now.

Spirit Albarn watched as Lord Death remained quiet, dropping his head ever so slightly. The God's form had shrunk considerably, and it was now that Spirit understood that Death was much more human than he had ever let on before. The man took a step forward, placing a hand on the reaper's shoulder. No words were spoken; they weren't needed. As a father, he could understand the pain of worrying about a child. A simple comfort was all that was needed to get the message across.

The weapon and meister pair stood like that for a long while, both remaining silent. As time ticked by Lord Death's form continued shrinking into itself, until eventually he was only a little taller than Spirit himself, and his body took on a much more human appearance.

"Spirit," Lord Death eventually whispered with a broken voice. "Leave me. Please."

His death scythe didn't need to be told twice. After giving the now-human form of the Grim Reaper a reassuring squeeze on his muscular shoulder, Spirit turned on his heels and began to depart. The redhead paused in the doorway momentarily to look back over his shoulder and address Lord Death once more.

"I'm sorry."

No reply came. So, with that said and done, the human left the Death Room, giving his meister the space he needed.

Once he was sure he was alone, Lord Death removed his mask and ran a hand tiredly through his ebony hair. His golden eyes, slightly duller than his son's due to the lack of vibrancy which came with youth, glanced around the Death Room until they landed on a golden throne. Kid's throne. He hadn't summoned it, but clearly his room had responded to his soul's desire for his son. The tired man walked towards throne and ran a hand over the ornamental armrest, soaking in all the details.

It was funny, really. By creating Kid in such a way so that he was not a full reaper, Lord Death had intended for his son to be slightly more human than Asura, so he would grow up understanding the creatures they were sworn to protect and watch over. Yet, it seemed that the more human Kid became, the more Lord Death did as well.

There was a clatter as the mask dropped from his hand to the floor. Sinking to his knees in front of the chair, head buried into arms which were folded on top of the seat, the man broke down. Salty tears streamed – another sensation he was not used to. But he didn't try to stop the tears. Lord Death was mourning the loss of his precious son.

In that moment, if one was to listen closely, they could hear the sound of a heart breaking.

* * *

The next morning at the very start of school, Maka, Soul, Black*Star and Tsubaki had found themselves summoned to the Death Room without any explanations. So, the four students walked together down the guillotine-arched walkway, chatting amongst themselves.

"I really hope we don't have to do remedial lessons again," groaned a certain green-eyed girl, her mind wandering back to the unpleasant encounter they as a group had experienced when they first met Professor Stein. That was certainly something Maka Albarn did _not _want to repeat any time soon. Of course, Black*Star released a loud and obnoxious laugh in response.

"Don't be ridiculous, Maka. They can't send a big star like ME on another one of those petty lessons! I am far too great to go through such a simple chore."

"You weren't saying that when Stein almost fried your brains," Soul reminded his friend with a snort, which caused the ninja to glare at him in response.

"Shut up, Soul. You're just jealous that you can't even begin to compare to my level of greatness."

"Whatever, dude."

Tsubaki sighed at her meister's antics, noticing the sympathetic glance Maka gave her. The shadow weapon clearly had the patience of a saint – nobody knew really how she was able to put up with the egotistical narcissist that was Black*Star. The gentle girl gave the bluenette boy a soft poke, hinting at him to quieten down as the small group finally approached the main platform of the Death Room.

They were surprised to find there was quite a large gathering already there: Maka's father Spirit, Sid and Nygus, Professor Stein, that nice woman Miss Marie who had been partnered off with Stein, the two other death scythes who had recently arrived at the DWMA named Justin Law and Azusa Yumi, and of course Lord Death. The thing that Maka instantly noticed however was how every single member appeared to be rather solemn. Even Death's mask seemed to have dropped into a miserable expression.

Soul raised an eyebrow at the sight in front of them, muttering under his breath "Looks like we didn't miss much of this party." He was quickly silenced by Maka elbowing him in the side, a frown taking hold of her face.

"Ah, good morning Lord Death," Tsubaki quietly greeted, sending her soft smile towards the other adults as well. "Do you have a mission for us, sir?" That was what she assumed to be the reason for the students to be called to face the headmaster. That, or Black*Star had vandalised something and they were all going to get reprimanded for it.

It was Spirit Albarn who stepped forward, giving his head a shake. His eyes momentarily wandered to his daughter, and he gave her a half-hearted smile.

"No, no, it's not that. Unfortunately we have some bad news," the redhead sighed with such a dejected voice, all the students felt their heart skip a beat. They were far too used to Maka's father acting all melodramatic when he was upset, yet this horribly serene gloom indicated to all four students that there was a huge problem at hand.

Stein spoke up next after releasing a breath of smoke and flicking his cigarette to the ground, stubbing out the embers with the toe of his shoe. Miss Marie was gently holding his arm, her caramel gaze focused on the four students before them, sympathy pouring out of her single iris. That only concerned the kids even more. "We thought you should be the first to know, seeing as you're all friends and thus, directly affected."

Maka at this stage felt her blood run cold. Once more, she turned her attention to the dejected, much less bouncy form of Lord Death standing before her. Realisation hit her like a train at full speed, and her stomach dropped. Soul must have noticed the colour drain from her face, for he began frowning at the teachers standing before them. Tsubaki also quickly caught on; the Japanese girl bit her lip and lowered her eyes so she was staring intently at her feet.

"Did… something happen to Kid?"

There was a moment which passed between the adults where they all exchanged glances. Almost as though they were regretting the decision on bringing the four students to the meeting. But they had to know. They had a right to, after all. Eventually, after reaching a silent agreement they would go through with it, Lord Death finally spoke up.

"Yes, Tsubaki. You could say that," he began in a voice which the children had never heard him use before. It was cold, distant. Truly, it sounded like _death_. "Last night when they were on a mission, Kid and the Thompson sisters were attacked. The girls are safe; in fact they're resting in the infirmary as we speak. However, Kid was… taken by their attacker. We have no idea where he is now."

In the silence that followed, you could have heard a pin drop. The teachers remained stone-faced at the words, keeping their composure for the sake of their students. Maka and Tsubaki however had both let out a horrified gasp in unison, their hands instantly flying to cover their mouths instinctively. Soul's red eyes seemed to darken to a shade of deep vermilion as his fists clenched tightly at his sides. The serious mood didn't stay that was for too long, however. Not when a certain blue-haired ninja was around.

"So you're telling us that there's been a _KID_napping!" Black*Star hollered with laughter at his own pathetic pun, but was quickly silenced by a particularly vicious Maka Chop to the head. Sid shot a disapproving glare at his ward, but said nothing otherwise.

"Black*Star, this is serious," Nygus scolded him as though dealing with a toddler. "And certainly no laughing matter. Your friend has been abducted by the Kishin; how can you possibly make a joke out of that?!"

Clearly, Mira was not supposed to let that slip, for Azusa shot her a death glare and even Marie frowned. But it was far too late; the words had slipped out and now the children felt the knots in their stomachs growing tighter. All four of the young students went silent, coming to terms with the full severity of the situation.

If it was possible, Maka began to get even paler at those words, and she asked with a trembling voice, "You mean… _Asura_ took Kid?" She could feel fear taking a firm grip on her soul as her body began to tremble. Panic surged within her for the well-being of her friend, and she began to yell. "You have to let us go out and find him!"

Nobody responded to her.

"Please! Lord Death, let us go out and bring back Kid!"

The blonde didn't even try to push her father away when he approached and pulled her into a comforting hug. The Grim Reaper stared at the Albarns with those hollow eyes, no form of expression evident on the mask any more.

"Absolutely not. Asura is far too powerful for you to take on," he began firmly. "I even feel uncomfortable sending out my best death scythes to deal with him. But don't worry… I'll be sending out Justin Law to try and track Kid's soul. Azusa will also stay at the DWMA to try and locate him. My other death scythes around the world have been informed and are all on the lookout…"

"What if they can't find him?" Maka suddenly shouted, interrupting her headmaster.

Silence returned, think and crushing in its severity. For a moment, nobody dared to breath. Every person in that room could feel the weight of those words and how the temperature had dropped by at least a degree.

Lord Death looked away, straightening his back. In this less child-friendly form, the reaper certainly looked intimidating. But what was more frightening was the brutal honesty he responded with.

"Then I fear the worst."

* * *

The first thing he awoke to was the sensation that his head was throbbing and his ears were ringing. Next he became aware of the fact that he was lying on his side on something hard and uncomfortable.

_Where was he and what happened? _

Death the Kid cracked a single golden eye open, trying to take in his surroundings for the first time. Wherever he was lacked any natural light and was made up entirely of rocks. A cave, perhaps?

Slowly opening his other eye, the raven boy grunted as he tried to sit upright. However, he soon came to the realisation that he was unable to easily, due to the fact something seemed to be binding his wrists together behind his back. Kid gritted his teeth and flexed his wrists, testing at his restraints. They felt hot, as though he was bound with pure energy. It felt incredibly similar to the magic he and his father used. Only this… this was burning hot. He could feel the corruption which radiated off it. Madness.

A jolt of realisation struck through him as the memories came flooding back. The clown. Fighting. Liz and Patty knocked out. Calling his father. Fragments. The Kishin. Asura. His _brother_.

Kid's heart skipped a beat as all the memories he would have rather forgotten returned. The Kishin had abducted him; that much he could tell. This was not a situation he would have wanted to be in, not in the slightest. After all, Asura was the God of madness – an incredibly dangerous and formidable foe. In comparison, Kid was a young reaper who still had yet to fully develop his skills. A restrained reaper, at that. There was no way he'd be able to take on Asura in this state. _Damn_.

After taking a deep breath to try calm his neurotic mind just a bit, the boy rolled onto his back, momentarily wincing when all his body-weight landed on his bound hands. But, at least it put him in a better position to be able to pull himself upright. Which he quickly did, sitting up so that his back was pressed against the rocky surface behind him.

Now that the world wasn't on its side, he was able to deduce a few more things about his predicament. Firstly, his ankles were restrained in a similar fashion to his wrists. From what Kid could see, there seemed to be bright red magic, crackling with black madness, forming shackle-like illusions around the ends of his limbs. Handcuffs for Gods. How _wonderful. _

Secondly, his jacket was open. Not only that, but his skull tie, braces, and two matching rings had been removed from his person. Somebody clearly didn't like Lord Death's image very much.

The third and most concerning thing however was the barrier which lay directly in front of Kid. Like a giant wall which spanned the entire width of the area Kid was in, matching the entire height of the cave, there was a force field of red and black energy, which crackled and swirled as though it was alive. Madness radiated off it, and Kid knew if he dared tried to get close, it would probably cause him serious harm. In other words, the young reaper was caged in a small area of the large cave, unable to escape unless he wanted to be infected by the madness.

_Brilliant. _

"So, you're finally awake!" Asura's voice jolted the boy out of his observations, and the raven-haired boy snapped his head up to face the man. The Kishin stood on the other side of the barrier, grinning at the younger fragment like a child on Christmas day. Kid found it incredibly unsettling. Yet he glared in response, not wanting to give Asura any satisfaction by showing him his fear. "I _am_ sorry to have taken you here by force." The insane one just continued casually as though he was talking about something as mundane as the weather, his crimson gaze locked on the younger figure and soaking in every single detail about him. "Honestly, I thought you would be a bit more cooperative. And, once you understood everything, that you would come along willingly with me~"

Kid's spine went rigid and he pulled himself further upright, at least trying to portray a modicum of confidence towards the elder. He snapped in response to the Kishin's remarks with a bitter phrase of, "You really must be insane to think I would ever come willingly with you."

Asura's grin only increased at that, before he released a high-pitched giggle which echoed around the dark, dingy space. The sound was haunting and unnerving, causing an involuntary shiver to run through Lord Death's heir.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Insanity is a natural thing. Everyone has it inside of them." Asura was explaining this to the raven boy as though it was the simplest thing in the world – as if it was obvious. Taking a step forward, the Kishin suddenly fazed right through the madness barrier so that he was finally inside the "cage" Kid had been trapped in. This caused his younger brother (a term Kid still refused to accept) to flinch and shuffle backwards so that his back was pressed further against the rock. He was silently begging for the wall to swallow him up now.

_Of course that damn Kishin could walk through a wall of pure madness magic and not be affected in the slightest. Damn him to hell a thousand times over. _

Finally, Kid managed to pull up enough confidence to respond to his relative once more, making sure his reply contained just as much poison in each word as when they had first encountered. He was going to let Asura know how much he hated him, he decided. It seemed to be the one thing he could do at this stage to put up some form of a fight, at least.

"Not to the extent of your madness," he snarled, teeth barred threateningly. "I would never betray my father, and you're crazy to think otherwise."

The taller being tilted his head to the side and held his chin in his hand, taking up a pensive stance as though contemplating over Kid's words. He stood there for a while, tapping his foot, whilst the incomplete reaper continued silently glaring back at him. Eventually, Asura shook his head and released a heavy sigh.

"Ah, of course. I almost forgot you follow that fool blindly like a pathetic little puppy. Even though he constantly lies to you." This time, Death the Kid did not respond to the comment made by the older fragment. Even so, the Kishin seemed to take great amusement in watching the smaller being continue to glower at him with complete and utter loathing. It would have been a look which would make most people tremble, but Asura only continued to smile as he stated in a sing-song tone, "How scary~"

If the Kishin was trying to rile up Kid, it was certainly working.

"You made a huge mistake by abducting me, Asura," the boy finally snapped, squirming furiously as he tried to loosen the binds around his wrists. As he moved, the madness energy stung and cut into his flesh, but he bit down on his tongue to hold back a wince. "When my father finds us, there will be hell to pay for you. I know you're nothing more than a coward, so I suggest you release me now so you don't have to suffer the consequences later."

Suddenly, Asura threw his head back and laughed, long and hard. The laughter was frenetic; a wild mix of madness, gloating and humour. It was almost as though Kid had cracked the funniest joke in the world right there and then. That, or Asura had just decided to randomly indulge himself in an over-the-top, stereotypical evil laugh for the fun of it. Most likely, it was a combination of the two in his mind.

Kid frowned in response, still fidgeting with obvious discomfort. Being stuck with a hysterical psycho, to put it bluntly, was not exactly his ideal situation. Make that an overly powerful, completely bat-shit insane psycho. Not fun. At all.

"What's so funny?" the reaper growled lowly when the laughter finally began to quieten down a bit. The giggles trailed off into a mirthful sigh, and Asura pulled himself upright once more, red eyes snapping back to meet the gold irises of Kid. He cracked another gin, revealing the set of jagged teeth which looked sharp enough to bite a man's head off.

"You are!" The Kishin pointed at the reaper, jabbing his finger in the boy's face and leaning in to invade the personal bubble of the younger one. Shuffling again with obvious discomfort, Kid pulled his eyebrows together into a frown in response, turning his head away so the finger was out of his face. The hand was eventually lowered, but unfortunately the boy wasn't given much of a reprieve. For, a moment later, Asura's face was right up in front of his own, so much so that he could feel the hot breath tickling against his pale skin.

Death the Kid swallowed, as though he was physically trying to gulp down his nerves and keep a confident expression.

"What do you mean…?"

That grin was never going to fall at this rate. Kid wasn't sure how Asura was able to keep it up without his face splitting right in half. Although admittedly, the reaper was glad he did not have to witness such a nightmarish sight. Even if it would have given a momentary satisfaction to see that expression of pure glee and delight completely backfire on the madness being.

"You're funny, and also clearly just insane as I am," came Asura's reply to the adolescent, all the while those scarlet eyes flashed with an insatiable satisfaction at the image of the pure discomfort the younger fragment was currently going through. One of his calloused hands reached forward to ruffle at the boy's ebony hair. When Kid tried to flinch away, the Kishin responded by simply grabbing at the hair and yanking it upwards, which elicited a pained yelp from Kid as his head was forced up as well. Once more their eyes locked, the reaper unable to move his head away due to the iron grip that now held him firmly in place.

Asura released a hollow chuckle, one which sent tremors right into the depths of Kid's very soul. The words which were spoken next were barely above a whisper, yet to the young reaper they were loud enough to cause him to freeze with paralysing fear.

"Let me put it bluntly: your precious father will _never_ find us. I've made sure of it personally. Even if by some slim chance he did, my clowns are guarding this place. Nobody can get in unless I say so."

Suddenly, the grip on his hair was loosened, and Kid released a sigh of relief when he was finally able to drop his head and look away from the monster before him. Of course, the Kishin still didn't move away from the boy, and instead the hand was reaching to pat his cheek affectionately. Almost as though Asura was an older sibling, teasing his little brother. That only caused Death the Kid to flinch away and snarl under his breath, making it very clear about how he felt about the display of "affection". Unfazed by the response he was getting, Asura continued in the same light tone. But even if the words sounded warm, there was no way to mask the dread they caused to flood through the younger of the two fragments. There was certainly something menacing behind them, after all.

"So, you might as well relax and sit tight. We're going to have a _very_ long time to get to know each other, after all. You'd be better off trying to get comfortable and make yourself at home, little brother."

* * *

When the gang stopped by the infirmary to visit their friends, they found Liz in hysterics. From what the nurse on duty told them, she hadn't stopped crying since they had arrived back at the DWMA. Both sisters had suffered bad concussions, Liz with a broken arm and Patty with three cracked ribs. But they didn't seem to care about their own injuries. The two sisters instead seemed consumed by guilt.

Liz hadn't stopped wailing once, desperately crying out for her meister, screaming for his forgiveness. She should have protected him. She shouldn't have let him get hurt. Maybe if she'd had stayed awake, he wouldn't have been taken from them. Kid. She wanted Kid back.

Patty on the other hand was horribly silent. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused, and her deafening quiet was enough to have everyone concerned for her well-being.

When the friends had arrived to visit them, they all felt their hearts break at the sight of the Thompson sisters. Usually so lively, vivid, full of spunk. Now, nothing more than empty shells. It was heart-wrenching, and the moment they entered the infirmary, Maka and Tsubaki were rushing over to their friends and embracing them in comforting hugs.

It took a good hour for them to finally be able to calm Liz down and coax Patty out of her silence. Now, they had improved somewhat. Seeing some friendly faces helped to ease the pain, even for just a moment.

Soul reflected on this as he watched Tsubaki sitting on Liz's bed with the older blonde, brushing the Thompson's hair gently and humming a soft tune. Liz held onto her sombre expression, face still tear stained, but at least she was no longer crying. The American girl seemed content now just listening to Tsubaki hum to her, relaxing slightly as her hair was untangled.

On the bed opposite, Patty was curled up with Maka, who was reading the younger girl a book. One about giraffes which she had taken out from the library, especially for her. The faintest of smiles was on Patty's face as Maka continued reading to her, putting extra expression into every word to bring the pages to life.

The scythe smiled ever so slightly at the scene. He could tell; all of them were being eaten up inside about what had happened. But, at least, they all had each other to pull themselves back up. The albino was pulled out of his thoughts by the boy leaning against the wall beside him, however.

"Kid will be fine," Soul heard Black*Star begin to mutter in an odd monotone, his eyes rooted on the wall ahead of him. "He was able to do pretty well in a fight against a God like me… There's no way some Kishin can beat him."

No words were spoken – Soul simply put a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. Black*Star may have been a loud-mouthed bighead, but everyone knew that beneath the rough surface, he had a loyal heart of gold which deeply cared about all his friends. The ninja would always protect those he cared about, and even if it seemed he had a rivalry with the young reaper, Kid's disappearance was eating him up as well.

Soul would have liked to have provided more comfort to his friends, he really wanted to. He was just as anxious as they all were. What they needed to hear was something encouraging: Kid would be fine. He'd be back home in no time. They were worrying for nothing. The scythe wanted to believe that. He had tried to. But, regrettably, he could not. That was for one simple reason.

Lord Death, the man who did not seem to know what fear was, seemed scared. And if _he _was scared, what hope did that leave the rest of them?

* * *

"_**This is fear. That's good then, I had forgotten what it felt like."**_

* * *

**AN: **This took forever and a half to write; sorry about that. Exams effectively murdered my writing muse. On that note, would you prefer to have quicker updates but much shorter chapters, or chapters of this sort of length but with less frequent updates? Because I have planned to have a lot of things happen in each chapter, but they could probably be broken up into smaller chapters. You guys should tell me what you'd prefer.

I know that characters may have seemed a bit OOC but… for Death in particular I felt it was justified. He's a father. He would have paternal instincts which would manifest into sorrow should a situation like this arise. Well, that's just my thought anyway. He didn't seem too concerned when Kid got sucked into the Book of Eibon. Then again, Asura is a much bigger threat. There will be **_much_ **more on Asura and Kid next chapter, by the way. See you then!

\- lia


	5. To Bond?

_**AN: **_Quick warning! This chapter contains some rather dark themes. Nothing particularly violent or anything like that. More… mind-screwy. Kind of. You'll see what I mean. (_Is mind-screwy even a word?_) Also, each line break is a time-skip of a few days so… yeah. I think the timeline should be pretty clear.

* * *

**Chapter 5: To Bond?**

There were a few things in Asura's chaotic mind which, no matter how much he would ponder over them, he could not understand. He could not understand why people refused to accept the fact that madness was inside _everyone_; that it was a significant part of life. To varying degrees, there was a unique form of madness to each and every person. If they would just accept it as a part of them, life would be so much more simple. They would not be living in fear. The world could be viewed through rose-tinted… no… _red_-tinted glasses. Insanity had helped Asura to see life with so much more clarity. He understood the importance of accepting chaos and taking everything at face-value. Without imagining, he wasn't afraid. Granted, a paranoid being such as himself could never fully be rid of his soul-consuming fears, but madness had given him a forceful shove in the right direction.

He could not understand the meaning of "family". From his experience, those who were meant to be closest to you could easily hurt and turn against you. They were not to be trusted, even if there was a tie between them of flesh and blood. "Family" was not there to support and only used whoever it thought could benefit them the most. "Family" lied and betrayed. "Family" would _tear your skin away from your flesh whilst you were STILL alive and leave you to rot deep underground in a prison made from that very same flesh–! _

Yet Death the Kid still stood by his "honourable father". This confused Asura the most out of everything in this strange world. To him, it made no sense. Death had obviously kept many significant things from his own son, such as the existence of his brother, so the Kishin had expected the younger fragment to feel betrayed or something along those lines. But instead, the raven-haired boy stayed defiant. He refused to talk to Asura, and if he ever did he would only make a snide remark and continue to pledge his loyalty to Lord Death. And that golden death glare of his would never waver, drilling right through the madness barrier which often kept them separated to pierce the demon's corrupt soul.

But there was one thing which Death the Kid did not understand about Asura, which put the younger at a significant disadvantage. Asura was _patient. _He had spent the last eight-hundred years _waiting_. Thinking. He had reached many conclusions whilst alone in the dark. One of which was that, no matter how long it took, eventually even the strongest soul would break. Everything would become susceptible to madness. Kid would be no exception. And when he did succumb to the madness, everything else would slip into place easily. Lord Death, Asura's enemy of centuries, would fall.

Even if his mind was constantly clouded red by insanity, Asura could always think clearly enough to ensure he got exactly what he wanted.

The man smiled to himself as he watched the younger boy behind the barrier. The child's body, exhausted from everything which had occurred the past few weeks, had eventually shut down and forced him into a restless yet deep (almost comatose-like) slumber. Reapers were odd creatures like that, with their ability to regenerate themselves almost against their will. The boy wouldn't wake again until his body had decided it had "healed" itself enough. Or in this case, recovered its dwindling energy. It was just amusing to observe him though, like a caged animal in a zoo. Kid would twitch and writhe even in his sleep whenever a wave of madness emitted from the demon and his magic would wash over him. Even in unconsciousness, his soul was doing its very best to fight off and reject the madness wavelength.

It was almost cute. But rather futile, none the less.

"How long do you plan on keeping the reaper boy, my Lord?"

The question pulled Asura's gaze away from his "guest", and he lazily glanced over his shoulder to send a charismatic smile to his most loyal clown, Kaguya, who was busy fiddling with her white hair. Her own scarlet eyes were also watching Death the Kid, yet her perplexed expression still conveyed how little she understood about the entire situation. To her and her fellow clowns, it probably seemed as though their master was just making everything up as he went along. After all, she had thought that Asura would have returned to his hideout a week ago with his little brother as another ally, not a captive. That had apparently backfired. His response to her query didn't exactly tell her much either.

"Who knows? Maybe indefinitely," Asura's tone was light and playful, as though he was clearly enjoying himself. Just the fact that he had his enemy's son, and that fact was probably consuming the Grim Reaper's soul with worry; that in itself was enough of a success for the Kishin. But he had so much more in store… "Kaguya. Did you know that Gods are, in fact, _not_ immortal?"

He chuckled to himself, before turning to face his clown. Adjusting his shirt slightly and rocking back on his heels once, Asura continued speaking with a hum. "However, it is still a bit trickier for them to die. The only way to kill a God is if another God is the one to cause their death… and _replace_ them."

Kaguya, as if suddenly reaching a new understanding, raised an eyebrow and allowed her mouth to mimic the grin her master was wearing. Her eyes sparkled with glee as her gaze drifted back over to the sleeping form of Death the Kid.

"This will be exciting!" she giggled, clapping her hands together and doing a small hop on the spot. Knowing her, the moment she left his company, Kaguya would be rushing off to tell her comrades what she had learnt. She did enjoy gossip with her fellow clowns. "Oooh~ you're so clever, my Lord! I'm looking forward to see how this all plays out." The female clown continued to giggle as she began formulating various different scenarios in her mind, and soon her giggles became uncontrollable cackles.

A moment later, the Kishin was laughing along with her, until it reached the stage where the two were overwhelmed by mad hysterics. This was the problem when Asura tended to be in the company of his clowns; they were all so consumed by his madness wavelength, conversations could never really stay serious for very long. It could be frustrating at times when trying to actually formulate plans (which so far had mainly consisted of "how are we going to continue to keep Lord Asura hidden?"), but oh well. They certainly loved to indulge in melodramatic, theatrical glee for no apparent reason from time to time.

Eventually, their giggles died down when Asura released a mirthful sigh and wiped a stray tear of merriment from his crimson eyes. Even the third eye situated in his forehead seemed to be full of amusement. "Yes, well," he began with that familiar sing-song tone of his. "I know how this will all turn out. It is only a matter of time until then."

The clown hummed in agreement, before rolling her shoulders back a few times and sitting herself down on a mossy rock. Giving her long white nails a lazy glance, Kaguya began rattling off her usual "report" of everything she and the other clowns had been doing the past week. Everything was included – from the extent of how Asura's madness wavelength was continuing to spread, to fellow clowns Moonlight and White Rabbit's search for another base. After all, they could only stay hidden in this place for a certain length of time. Who knew how long it would take before Death and his forces found the Kishin? It was a risk his loyal clowns were not willing to take.

Asura himself hardly seemed to care that much. He just listened on with little interest, occasionally allowing his mind and eyes to wander back to Kid when the boy twitched and jerked in his sleep every now and then. However, the Kishin's ears did prick up when Kaguya mentioned something… _new_.

"Joker encountered someone from the DWMA," she explained casually, as though discussing the weather or something equally as mundane. "Seems he was travelling alone, so we don't necessarily have to worry about anyone else following him. It also seems as though he succumbed quite easily to the madness, and started raving about his support for you. But, should we still kill him? He probably is a liability…"

A bony finger was placed on his lips as the bitter man mused over the information he'd just received. It was interesting, to say the least.

"He has embraced the madness, you say?" he pondered quietly, to which Kaguya responded with a small nod. A pensive quite returned, causing his female accomplice to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. After a good minute or so, the only sound having been the faint crackle and sparking of the madness barrier behind them, Asura felt his grin widen. "There's no need to kill him. This person from the DWMA, he might be of some use to us. Who knows?"

* * *

Golden eyes eventually slid open again, a fresh wave of rejuvenating energy pulsing through the small body. Every nerve inside of him was tingling once more with vigour; a sensation which had previously been replaced by a sickening numbness. Finally that had worn off. Unfortunately, that had been at the cost of losing a few days. Death the Kid felt some annoyance at the fact he had _no _knowledge of what occurred whilst he was out. On the other hand, his body had taken measures to "recharge him" in a way. If he could see a window of opportunity, he might have been able to put up some form of a fight against the Kishin.

Kid released a frustrated sigh through his gritted teeth as he glared up at the rocky-cavern of a ceiling which loomed above him. Even through the thick and smothering darkness, those irises shone and burned so that every single nook and cranny was visible in the most incredible clarity. He hated this place, with a burning ire that smouldered in the very pit of his stomach. There was no _order _here. Everything was a mess, disorganised, _asymmetrical_!

The reaper was struggling to tell at this stage if his current irritations were simply his obsessive personality kicking into gear, or if the barrier and the wavelength radiating throughout the place were finally getting to him. Even now, despite how much he was trying to put up a mental shield and retain a sense of calm, Kid could feel the hot pricks of madness making needle-like stabs at his soul, attempting to drag him into insanity.

His eyes closed again, scrunched up tightly as he tried to clear his mind of the red fog which was continually trying to seep into his brain. Being surrounded by this much madness was something Kid had never experienced before. Even beneath the DWMA over three weeks ago now, the hallucinations had been the extent of the various side-effects of such a strong wavelength. Right now his body was shuddering, almost convulsing, and the adolescent was literally biting down on his tongue to suppress the manic giggle which threatened to escape him.

No! He would not give in to that overpowering stench of insanity! He would not show any more signs of weakness!

_Deep breaths, calm down. _

The serenity he reached was fleeting, lasting barely any longer than a heartbeat. It was so close, right in his grasp, but was torn away when lunacy stabbed right at his soul, sending a tremendous jolt through him. A strangled gasp was released and his eyes snapped open to see the ceiling above had been obliterated by the grinning face of Asura looming right over him. Kid's eyes widened whilst he felt words he was unable to voice get caught in his throat, smothered down by fear. The madness emitted by the elder being was so strong you could almost see it, and it crashed down over the raven-haired boy like the tide on a stormy night. Asura seemed to have no reaction to the petrified face below; he simply watched with interest as the boy began to break out in a hot sweat.

Their souls were resonating without intention. _Instinctively_. That magnetic pull had turned into electricity coursing through Kid's soul as it reached out and tried to grab for the familiar fragment of his "brother". He couldn't stop it, no matter how hard he tried to focus and reject it. But the more their souls resonated, the more Kid could feel a painful, burning heat stab at his soul, over and over again. The madness was trying to wear down the barrier his soul was trying to put up, and from the way it felt as though his insides were getting torn up, it was beating him.

Something dark splattered against Kid's face, making him flinch. A horrific sight had begun to play out in front of him. The Kishin's face began to break, gradually splintering outwards like an increasingly growing crack in fragile porcelain. The now deformed face seemed to be swirling round and round, and black blood began pouring out of the cracks, dripping down onto the terrified boy's skin.

Screaming silently was all Kid could do. The Kishin himself did nothing, just continued starring down at the boy with a small smile on his face and tranquillity in his three eyes, despite how the madness burned deep inside of him. His scarlet irises were locked on yellow, and neither one were able to pull the gaze away. One figure was consumed by an interested curiosity in his smaller counterpart, the other trapped in a maddening hallucination. That was until instincts inside the adolescent finally kicked in again.

It was sudden and abrupt. The boy lifted his head and slammed it straight into the peaceful face of Asura, who recoiled from the force of the blow with a pained yelp. With adrenalin pumping through his veins, Kid scrabbled himself into a sitting position and scooted away from the taller man, who was still reeling in shock from what had just occurred. Death the Kid, however, paid little attention to Asura and tried to force himself to stand. He'd almost forgotten the fact his ankles were bound – it was only when the stinging magic cut into his flesh with the movement, eliciting a wince and causing him to wobble and fall onto his side that he was reminded of his full predicament. That peak of energy wouldn't do much if the boy couldn't move.

Asura, after fumbling around for a moment, manage to successfully stand with the help of his scarves pushing off from the ground, unlike the younger who still seemed to be floundering in the corner. The man cocked his head to one side at the sight of the boy, who was in a wild panic, clearly still caught up in some hallucination Asura himself was unable to witness. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what he could do except watch with inquisitiveness when Kid lurched onto his knees and slumped forward.

Suddenly, Death the Kid was retching up everything which he _hadn't_ eaten in the past week from his empty stomach, his body naturally trying to purge itself of anything "toxic" trying to seep into his system; in this case, the madness. Kid was slumped forward, restricted by the fact his hands were still held in place behind his back as he continually coughed up bile. A smile returned to Asura's pale and sickly face, and he drifted over to the child before crouching down beside the hunched-over figure. With a snap of his fingers, the shackles of corrupted reaper magic instantly disappeared, freeing Kid's limbs and allowing him to flop forward and land on all fours whilst he continued to heave. Placing a hand on the trembling figure's back, Asura began to rub soothing circles up Kid's spine whilst humming gently. Placid was his expression – even though providing comfort was not something the Kishin did naturally. It felt incredibly foreign to him. However, if he could calm down the boy, who knew? He might become more malleable, with time.

Kid's gagging eventually died down into chocked sobs. The reaper shuddered, yet his body did not flinch away from the elder. Ha! Already it seemed his earlier resistance was slipping. Knowing that the lowered head was unable to see his facial expression, Asura allowed his lips to pull upwards into a twisted grin.

"Feeling better, Kiddo?"

A sudden roar of anger was the response Asura received, when Kid abruptly span around with a fist raised and wrath blazing in his eyes. Initially it seemed as though the Kishin's reaction was almost non-existent. He simply leaned back ever so slightly with a calm air about him, dodging the clenched hand with ease. A scarf darted forward in a millisecond, wrapping tightly around the wrist of the raised arm and stopping the punch dead in its tracks. Kid seemed stunned by the swift action, his anger dropping into shock whilst he tried to yank his hand out of the hold.

For a moment, Asura did nothing. What Death the Kid failed to notice was that the Kishin's vision was suddenly clouded by burning vermilion madness, fuelled by rage_. _

Kid didn't have a chance, really. Not when another scarf darted forward before he had the opportunity to blink and wrapped around his thin, fragile neck. The reaper spluttered in panic, his one free hand reaching to try and pry the suffocating flesh away from his throat. But it just _squeezed_, tighter and tighter. Wide-eyed with terror, Death's son stared straight at the older fragment to see the furious expression shift and twist into a sadistic grin. In that instant, Kid's blood ran cold.

He was thrown back, head slamming into the rocks with a crack. The scarf around his neck didn't loosen, however. Another blow had the back of his head being repeatedly smashed until the world span and all Kid could see was stars. Black spots began seeping into his eyes, legs half-heartedly thrashing in the air as he tried to gasp for air. He could feel the breath literally being strangled out of him. A fleeting thought, something his father had warned him about long ago when he was first told about the Kishin, raced through his fading mind as the black in his vision began to flood his senses. _Only_ _Gods can kill Gods. _

He could die, right here and now. The Kishin Asura could end up being the death of Death.

Unexpectedly, thankfully, the grip on his neck loosened. Desperate gulps for air were made like a fish flailing on dry land. The boy crumpled to the ground once more, gasping and taking in large lungfuls of glorious oxygen.

Then, arms were wrapping themselves around the small form. Kid stiffened, going rigid as he was pulled closer to another being. His breath hitched.

"I'm sorry," Asura mumbled, running one hand through the ebony and ivory fringe of the teen. "I shouldn't have done that. It was an accident. I don't want to hurt you, Kid. Please don't be scared." The voice used by the demon was calm and gentle; in an odd way almost charismatic.

There and then, Death the Kid didn't know what scared him more: death, or Asura himself and his erratic mood-swings.

The tense boy quickly shoved the man away and shuffled back slightly, narrowing his eyes despite his inability to mask the fear behind them. It took all of Asura's will-power to hold back a grin at the sight.

"I don't understand. Why are you keeping me here?" Kid spat, each word annunciate with venom. "Why don't you just kill me and be done with it?"

He wanted to laugh, there and then. Cackle until his ribs hurt. But no, Asura had to keep it contained. He'd unwillingly let himself slip into his own chaotic insanity; a momentary lapse, a slip up. Hopefully he could fix it before anything was damaged too badly.

Instead, the man blinked and tilted his head slightly to one side, observing the boy with perplexity. "But I don't want to kill you," came his response. Soft spoken, warm, inviting. He could add all those layers to his tone and voice easily. It helped to make the words smooth like honey. "Honestly, I'm sorry about what happened. It was an unfortunate lapse. But…"

He paused, as if struggling to find the words. The future Grim Reaper meanwhile had his back stiff, so much so that Asura could practically see the hairs bristling down his spine. Kid didn't trust him. Not yet anyway.

"We're two pieces of the same coin, Kid. I couldn't kill you because we complete each other. We _need_ each other."

Now it was the turn of Death the Kid to look confused, as he blinked his large doe-eyes in a similar fashion to what Asura himself had done earlier. They even shared the same mannerisms, it seemed.

The boy swallowed, brows pushing down into a deep-set frown. "What do you mean?"

Of course he didn't understand. He had only just found out about the rather huge detail of his existence which Lord Death had failed to mention to his son until only very recently. It was unsurprising that Kid had plenty of questions at this stage. So, Asura smiled patiently and sat himself down across from his fellow fragment, ready to explain all.

"I was created by Lord Death, our father, removing an emotion from his soul." Kid raised an eyebrow at that remark, but allowed the older to continue with his explanation. "The emotion he removed was fear, to ensure that _he _had no fear. Unfortunately for me, that meant that I was doomed to be consumed by fear from the start. You see, our father is nothing more than a user. He only created us because it would benefit _him_. And of course, then he discards us when we are of no use to him. You were luckier than me, though. Death didn't want another failed experiment, so took a much more intricate piece of his soul to create you. To ensure _you _were perfect."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Kid interrupted all of a sudden, his frown deepening. "If I was created from a soul which did not possess fear… how is it possible that _I _feel fear? Your story has too many flaws to be true, Asura."

The kid was still in denial about the entire situation, then. Asura sighed heavily, shaking his head with dismay.

"You have _learnt _how to fear. There's a difference to actually having it," the explanation seemed frustrated now. However, a smile quickly returned as the Kishin's eyes lit up with an odd mixture of excitement and victory. "But you know what? We _do _complete each other!" Those words came out gabbled now as he continued. "You and I together; we can both become one full entity! We would be strong enough to become the next Grim Reaper and create a new world! You should join me, Kid, for that very reason!"

Silence. They both drowned in it. Kid had no idea how to respond to this madman. Asura still waited for his reply. Eventually, a hollow laugh echoed around them, filling up the dark space as Kid let a twisted grimace reside on his pale face. His eyes drifted away from Asura, focusing on the far wall.

"So… that's why I'm here. I see," he spoke with cold and empty words, void of feeling. "You're such a coward; you don't even have the guts to try and face father yourself. Instead, you just try to target a weak spot in order to get to him. How pathetic."

…

Asura wanted to laugh at that. Instead, he simply retreated into the shadows once more without another word as though he was a kicked puppy leaving with his tail between his legs, allowing Kid to think he had the advantage now.

What Kid still failed to understand was that Asura was not to be underestimated at this stage. He was not just some paranoid being now. He had spent eight hundred years alone, thinking. And throughout those long centuries, he had learnt not to let fear entirely consume him any more.

Imagination was where all fear originated from. It was what gave birth to the terror that formerly used to consume him every waking moment of his life. It was mankind's greatest weakness.

* * *

"You must be hungry."

That smooth voice of Asura a few days later caused Kid to glance upwards, just in time to see something be tossed through a small hole in the barrier before him. The reaper caught the object with a raised eyebrow, then glanced at what was in his hands. A perfectly shaped, deep crimson apple. The fact it had been given to him by the Kishin almost reminded him of Eve, being tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Such a tainted fruit was sinful to accept from the devil. A part of Death the Kid didn't want to dare indulge and taste the poisoned treasure offered by Asura.

Unfortunately, his growling stomach reminded him of the fact that he hadn't eaten a single thing in a week. Or was it longer now? He couldn't tell any more.

"You seem hesitant. I thought Gods of Death liked apples?" chuckled the Kishin. The man took one step forward and easily fazed right through the madness wall, which caused an ounce of green envy to bubble inside the boy. The madness barrier had little effect on a man already consumed by that same insanity. However, the many times Kid had tried to step through himself and escape, he had been scorched and plunged into momentary psychosis which had taken all of his will-power to fight off. It was infuriating how such a simple trap, seemingly penetrable, effectively had him stuck. It constantly taunted him, freedom beckoning to him from just a mere few feet away.

What was most infuriating about the entire situation was how it left Kid feeling like he was no more than a useless bag of bones at that time as well. He could put up a fight, yes, but none of his ones over the last few days had exactly been successful. It was awful to admit, but the Kishin was powerful. What was even worse was the knowledge that, if Kid was going to get away from Asura, he would definitely need help in doing so. Of course Asura would be highly unlikely to help with that endeavour, so the poor boy was rather stuck unless some form of help came. Sooner rather than later.

Life really was cruel at times.

"Eat," Asura pressed on once more, indicating to the beautiful and delicious-looking fruit Kid still held in his pale hands and pulling the boy out of his train of thought. "I'd rather not have you waste away or starve on my watch."

The boy glanced at the apple himself, admiring how perfectly round and unblemished it was. It was tempting… A part of Kid's brain scolded himself for it, but eventually the boy did give into the demands of his growling stomach and took a small bite from the apple. The sweet, pleasant juice danced on his taste-buds. The boy had almost forgotten what it was like to taste, and though he felt rather guilty for accepting anything from his brother, he still did not fully regret his decision.

Thus, he continued to take ravenous chunks from the fruit, munching on each piece, savouring the flavour and finally feeling a little bit more contented. Well, as much as one could when being held prisoner by your own insane long-lost brother you never knew you had.

Life sucked.

When the apple was entirely consumed, Kid placed the core on a boulder and proceeded to try and ignore the other God. No eye contact was made, no words were spoken. Much to Asura's irritation, who eventually cleared his throat deliberately.

"I don't know why you're so stubborn with me," lamented the man dramatically, the words seasoned with a heavy sigh. "I'm clearly the only one who cares about you. We've been with each other for weeks now. You should at least be nice enough to have a decent conversation with me."

The reaper dug his nails deep into his palms at Asura's remark, gritting his teeth with irritation. He eventually let out a snort and turned his back to the other fragment, barely glancing over his shoulder when he finally spoke.

"You give me one apple, and you think that counts as caring?" Kid scoffed, spitting out the words as though just the thought disgusted him. "Don't make me laugh."

A firm pair of hands on his shoulder quickly spun the adolescent around so he was face-to-face with the corrupted former reaper. An irritated frown was being worn by Asura, whose red stare was latched onto Kid like a parasite trying to crawl into his brain.

"I'm sorry, but may I ask, where are your friends? They _certainly_ don't seem to care. It's not like I see them rushing over here to help you."

Kid scowled back, trying to shrug himself out of the Kishin's grip. When he was able to loosen the hold, he took a few steps back yet never let his glare waver. Even when Asura took a few steps closer once again.

"They're not stupid; they wouldn't try to face you. Not when they know they couldn't beat you."

It seemed as though the Kishin was trying to process those words for a moment or so, for his expression went completely blank. Then, he threw his head back and allowed a loud, clear laugh to be set free.

"Oh, _of course_! They aren't trying to rescue you because they _fear me_!" Asura wiped away a tear of mirth as he spoke, all three of his eyes glittering with sheer amusement at Kid's ridiculous answer. Of course, his response hardly went down well with the boy in question, who opened his mouth to retort but was quickly silenced by the man raising one finger and quickly continuing before his brother had a chance to let any words out. "Even though I distinctly remember there was that boy who kept going on about "surpassing God". He didn't exactly seem scared of me on the night of the DWMA's anniversary. So, shouldn't he be leaping at the opportunity to try and defeat me and rescue the son of Lord Death? What's his name… he's from the Star Clan, isn't he? I recognised his tattoo."

Kid flinched at the memory of that night, letting his mind wander to picture the face of the insufferable Black*Star. That boy certainly was a nuisance, one who only seemed to care about himself. Death the Kid couldn't exactly call the ninja a friend; he was more like a friendly rival. Even so, the blunette would have been pissed off that Kid wasn't around to try and fight with. So… of course he gave a damn, right?

From that point on, Asura could practically read Kid's mind. He watched and felt how his soul continued to fluctuate with emotions and his thoughts took a panicked turn.

_Then again, the only thing that mattered to Black*__Star was Black*__Star. In some ways, it wouldn't surprise the son of Death if that stupid boy had already forgotten him and moved on to find a new rival, a new challenge to try and beat. What if that had already happened?_

Paranoia began teasing the boy, plucking the strings of doubt at the back of his mind. He swallowed thickly, trying to suppress the growing knot of doubt in his stomach.

"Stop it!"

"And what about that girl with the scythe? From what my clowns told me when they were keeping an eye on you…" those words elicited a sharp gasp from Kid. Asura had been watching him? Was that why he had been suffering from those nightmares, from that paranoia, before he and the Kishin had had their first proper encounter? "…She didn't seem too fond of you. Looked as though she was avoiding you for a while. Some friend she is. Maybe she had begun to fear the Grim Reaper, like most mortals do."

Once again, Death the Kid was easy for Asura to read. Like a child's book. He could _hear _the thoughts which would be racing through his mind right there and then.

_No! That was a lie. Maka was the bravest soul Kid knew. Granted, she had her flaws, but cowardice was not one of them. Besides, that was no reason for her to apparently disregard a friend of hers. Though… had she been avoiding him? Death the Kid had been so caught up in his own issues after Asura had escaped, he had hardly noticed the others. But now that he thought about it, he had hardly seen Maka those two weeks. Then there was that incident during Professor Stein's class. But that… that didn't make any sense._

Paranoia returned again, her cruel and sharp nails plucking once more at his mind, playing it like a harp. Kid felt his breath hitch and his voice rise. A surge of panic rushed through him, causing him to let out a small and desperate cry.

"You're lying!"

"And what about your weapon partners too, hm~?"Asura was interrupting him again before he could protest anymore, releasing more and more of his poisoned words which slipped into Kid's ears and began to fester in a zest pool of lies inside that frantic mind. Another step forward was taken by the Kishin, who placed his hands onto his counterpart's shoulders. "Those two sisters. I would have thought they'd be the first to rush to your aid, especially after that little incident when we first met. But, seems as though they aren't really that loyal either. Did you really think they'd stand by you?" He was chuckling as he spoke, as though laughing about some private joke, which Death the Kid was the unfortunate butt of. Like he was a poor, silly, fool who had simply been dragged along for a ride. "I bet they only agreed to pair up with you because you promised them a comfortable lifestyle. What girls wouldn't want to live a life of luxury with the most powerful little boy reaper in the world?"

The poor boy was surely flailing around inside his own mind now. His expression gave everything away to the Kishin.

_Something trembled deep inside Kid, causing a pang of hurt to stab him straight in his heart. That wasn't true at all! Granted, the Thompson sisters had come from a life on the streets, so of course he had been fully aware of the fact that initially they had been swayed more by materialism and the promise of a better future when they agreed to become Kid's weapons rather than Kid himself. But things had changed since then! They had become a family unit; the three of them were siblings. They were always going to be there to support each other, no matter what._

…_Liz did make all her decisions in order to protect Patty though. Maybe Kid never really had been a priority of hers. _

"Liz and Patty are my closest friends! They would never just–!"

Once more, the young reaper was cut off by Asura quickly stepping in with another series of convincing and Machiavellian words.

"Listen, Kid. You need to wise up now. As the next Grim Reaper, you should be aware of these things. Mortals _fear_ Death. Mortals are _not_ your friends." The grip on the teen's shoulders tightened slightly, as though the message was being enforced through the touch as well as simply the words. "Think logically for a moment – you're the wealthy prince of Death City and heir to being the next God of this world. They don't value your friendship; they value your title."

Kid quickly turned his face away, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the ground as he bit down on his lip tightly. He couldn't even come up with a response. Mentally, Asura smiled to himself.

"Face facts, Kiddo. The only person who could ever truly care about you is me, because I am just like you."

A long finger was placed under the boy's chin, tilting his head up so that Kid was once more forced to look at Asura. There was a chaotic symphony of swelling emotions in his eyes, however none of them were able to harmonise with each other. The young reaper seemed rather shaken already. Good.

Asura's next words sounded warm, yet whether that warmth was genuine was an entirely different matter altogether. "Try to deny it all you like, but we're bound as one. Brothers. Fragments. I won't ever let you forget that."

The soul of a certain golden-eyed, raved-haired boy was already losing its initial tenacious block. Asura considered this a job well done on his part.

* * *

Minutes felt like hours, hours like days, and days like weeks. Time ticked by painfully slowly. If anything, both fragments lost their sense of time completely. It was only Kaguya's routinely visit and report session which helped Asura keep a semblance of time.

It seemed that Kid spent most of his time pacing back and forth across the small confines of his prison. Asura rather enjoyed just blending into the shadows, hidden from view, and watching him with curiosity. The boy would try to keep a stoic façade, trying to act mature with his rigid spine and hands clasped in the small of his back. He kept it up for quite some time. However, Asura found it most entertaining when the mask would slip, the madness would creep in again, and the next thing the boy would be trying to yank his own hair out as he was consumed by paranoia. It must have been difficult for the boy; trying to fight off the wavelength for such a long period of time. Asura was surprised he was holding up this long – most people would cave instantly when being exposed to him for a longer period of time.

Of course, Death the Kid wasn't _normal_, was he~? Ah well. There was not much else to do now but continue to try and chip away at that stubborn resolve of his now.

"It's been over four weeks now~" sang the demon as he emerged from the shadows. Death the Kid ceased his pacing and turned his body to stare back at the other fragment, yet kept his stony expression and failed to provide an answer to the remark. "Over four weeks, and still nobody from your precious DWMA has come to get you. I think that proves I was right. They don't care."

"That's ridiculous!" Kid's snapped reply hardly fazed the Kishin. If anything, it was just amusing watching him trying to cling onto whatever ounce of pride he had left intact at this stage. "You're wrong about my friends! And you seem to have completely forgotten about the fact that my father–!"

Asura hollered with laughter before Kid even had an opportunity to finish his sentence. Hah! In many ways, he found it completely pathetic that even after all this time, the boy was still placing his father on a pedestal. Even after Death the Kid _knew _Lord Death was a liar, even though he _knew_ that Lord Death was more selfish than any other being in this world. Who else would create a son just to improve themselves? Add the fact that Death, according to reports from his clowns, had seemingly sent out a very limited number of resources to try and find his _precious _son. Even those were only really focusing on a few small, specified areas, and were nowhere near close to locating them.

Death was making this far too easy. It was almost as though the God _wanted_ Asura to keep his son for an indefinite amount of time, based on how little effort had been put into any semblance of a search and rescue operation. _How sad_.

"You still have such blind faith in your father?" Asura grinned, knowing full well that the question would probably end up striking a nerve. "The man who clearly has never fully trusted you enough to not hide things from you. The man who sends young children into battle to fight demons and witches, like sending lambs to the slaughter?"

It took a moment for Kid to come up with a response to that. Apparently, chipping away slowly at his resolve was having an effect on the teen. After all, it must have been hard to continue to have faith in such an "honourable father" who really… had as much honour as a rat. Whatever made Death think sending children in to fight the wars between Gods was a good idea clearly highlighted the flaws in the old fool's logic.

Finally, after a painful minute or so, Death the Kid responded with an icy tone, his voice never once quivering. "My father is fighting to maintain order. He is preserving the balance and symmetry of this world in every way he can, and I applaud him for that. For he is upholding the true duty of a reaper. Every decision he has ever made has been to sustain that tentative balance. You would never understand, Asura."

With a faint chuckle, the man once again stepped right through the madness barrier and stared down his nose at the smaller figure, towering over him and radiating power.

"Let me tell you something I learnt over my eight-hundred years of imprisonment, Kid," Asura began simply, indicating for the boy to sit down. Death the Kid hesitated, his hard eyes rooted on the Kishin, but eventually he did back down slightly and sat with his back pressed against the far wall. Asura followed suit, sitting himself down beside his fellow fragment with a crack of his knuckles and a stretch of his back. "When you're sitting, alone in the dark, you have a hell of a lot of time to yourself to think. I thought about many things, including the nature of the world itself. It's an unknowable place, really."

Maybe at this stage, the youngest son of the Grim Reaper actually was curious. His expression was no longer hard and scornful, just neutral. Yet he didn't interrupt or try to change the subject; he just listened. Asura was glad he was taking an interest in what he had to say.

"On the surface, all appears rational, orderly. But what lies beyond that thin veneer of reason? Stability and reality? Or chaos and madness? What are we really made of in the end? Is there truly any meaning to the lives we lead? Or are we nothing more than hollow vessels? These are questions we can never answer, because we cannot hope to see beyond the world's fragile layer of skin. So we live our lives filled with uncertainty, never knowing who or what we truly are, or what the future will bring."

The Kishin paused, long enough to glance at the boy beside him. Said teen seemed to be processing all this silently, as though trying to reach his own conclusions to the questions brought up. The faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Asura cleared his throat and announced proudly:

"What your father offers is order and authority, which gives humans the illusion of security and peace, but what truly lies under the thin layer of rationality he attempts to impose on the world? He is simply allowing the world to stagnate, stuck in a false state of security and order." This was a grand conclusion he had reached many centuries ago (who really knew when – it was rather hard to tell when trapped in a bag made of your own skin for such a long time). "The only way to truly achieve real order is through destruction and chaos. It is only by embracing madness will we ever reach a symmetry which exceeds symmetry. Namely, nothingness."

This seemed to elicit more of a reaction from the reaper finally, who let out a small gasp before regaining his composure and frowning. "You're lying," Kid stated lowly, eyes narrowed in obvious distrust.

"I've never lied to you, Kid."

The boy didn't respond. He simply couldn't. Death the Kid had no more words, nothing more to say at all. Asura could just tell that, no matter how much he hated to admit it, the reaper boy was mulling over everything which had been said and gradually coming to the realisation that Asura was right about _everything_.

Because, simply, he was.

Madness was the only answer.

It was the only way to advance.

Now that Death the Kid's tenacity had wavered enough, Asura knew it was the time to strike. The older brother gave the smaller figure a small nudge with his elbow, causing Kid to knit his eyebrows together in confusion when he returned his gaze to the Kishin.

"You know, you would make a much better Grim Reaper than your father," The sentence tumbled out without an ounce of hesitation or doubt. It sounded as though Asura truly believed what he was saying right then. "You have the potential to help this world reach the ultimate state of order. The ultimate balance. The ultimate symmetry. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I can help you with that."

Kid swallowed, a flicker of worry rising in his soul. Asura sensed it; the way his inner core seemed to tremble slightly only encouraged the Kishin on further.

"Don't be afraid; you just need to embrace the madness and chaos," It wasn't as scary as it sounded either. Asura knew; he'd experienced it all before. "Then everything will fall into place. I promise you."

But the reaper still seemed hesitant, as he glanced at his hands with a frown, clearly thinking things over in his head. Striking whilst the iron was hot, Asura shuffled a little closer and leaned beside the younger's ear so he could whisper: "I will help you, Kid. Together, the two of us can work together to create perfect order for the world."

When he pulled away again, he noticed the boy's eyes had widened ever so slightly. Yet, they had lost their usual brilliant shine. The irises of once pure gold now seemed a more dull shade, muddied by confusion and uncertainty.

"Madness is sempiternal, Kid. You might as well just accept it."

Asura could see the cogs turning rapidly behind those dull, tired, confused eyes. Kid was clearly trying to think of _something_, come up with some sort of final, desperate plan to fight against it. It was visible to see the train of thought running through those eyes. All the emotions which had been bubbling over the past few weeks were finally mixing in a deadly brew; a concoction would soon envelop and drown the young reaper sitting before him.

Tired, fragile, giving up. This was it. There was only so much a young, naïve, inexperienced boy could take. He may have tried to act mature throughout his life, but that was clearly just a mask. A mask which would fall at any moment.

No words were spoken. Death the Kid simply gave the smallest nod, sealing his fate with such a tiny movement. Yet his expression was stony, as if he was still clinging onto one last fragile semblance of inner strength.

A wide grin stretched across Asura's face, and he pulled his younger brother into a tight, suffocating hug. It may have seemed like an affectionate gesture, but it lacked the true love which would have been felt by most families. After all, both brothers were using each other. This was more like a business deal than anything else. Kid didn't even try to struggle against the embrace.

The guarded soul which had been putting up such a resilient fight for so long finally let its defences drop. A prickle of hot madness pierced its crumbling shell, just as the Kishin continued to hug the boy tighter.

Over Kid's shoulder, so the boy was unable to see it, Asura allowed a dark grin to take hold of his face.

* * *

"_**What's wrong with surrendering to madness? That's where the true peace is."**_

* * *

_**AN: **_As you can probably tell we're going for longer chapters instead of shorter, but I would like to apologise for how long this chapter took to get out. Honestly, I thought I'd be able to update relatively quickly this time. Unfortunately my brain just did not want to cooperate with me, and no words have been flowing for the past month. It's not like I even have an excuse any more to make up for the delay! Somehow I managed it eventually. Hopefully this chapter is up to the same usual standard. And, hooray for brotherly bonding? If you can really call it that.

This was a hard chapter to write though, especially as I was trying to focus on Asura (even though I kind of flip-flopped between his and Kid's POV). But _uuuuugh_ he is hard to write. I tried to incorporate some of the qualities of both anime and manga Asura, along with some traits of my own. IMO, he's more than just a childish madman. He's patient, cunning, a schemer, manipulative, and vindictive. Did that come across well?

Also, sorry, but I just love the idea that Asura and his clowns can't stop laughing for no apparent when they're together. Because honestly, they're all living in cloud cuckoo land.

Oh yeah, Kid! Haha… whoops… he kind of got manipulated easily. Seemed kind of OOC, right? Well first of all, he's been fighting off the madness for four weeks. Poor guy. Secondly… reasons. :T

Also I'd like to give a particular thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story up until this point. I kept the review tab open on my browser as I wrote, and your kind words, compliments and support have really helped to (eventually) motivate me. Sorry if this sounds really gushy, but in a way I still can't get over the fact that my story has been so well-received so far. I used to love writing, but really got my confidence knocked a few years ago and since then have been hesitant about doing anything. I probably wouldn't have even posted anything on here, except this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I just thought "whatever", and published this story. But now, seeing so many positive comments and kind words has really pulled me back up and given me so many more ideas, so honestly I can't say thank you enough. You've all really pulled me out of a horribly long slump, and I really appreciate it.

Wow, that got serious! This was a crazy-long author note and I'm sorry for my rambling. I will see you all next chapter (if my brain will work enough for me to write). Stay awesome, everyone!

\- lia

P.S. Did anyone notice a little reference to another anime I snuck in there?


	6. To Return

**Chapter 6: To Return**

School had felt very quiet for a while now. It seemed as though Kid's disappearance sucked the life out of all of them, to an extent. Nobody before had realised how much the young reaper had become an important part of their lives, a significant cog in the clock that was their group of friends. The weeks he was gone left a hole which could not be filled, and it caused everything to grind to a halt in the intricate contraption which was their friendship group.

Black*Star rarely showed his face in class anymore. From what the others had heard from Tsubaki, the Star had thrown himself into serious training. He spent every day drilling his body until he broke by nightfall. "So I can beat the Kishin myself and prove to Kid I've surpassed him," he had told his weapon partner arrogantly. But she had and confided in Maka and Soul that she was worried about her meister, pushing himself so hard every day. The shadow weapon just knew that there was far more to his behaviour than just trying to inflate his enormous ego. Especially when, three weeks after Kid first went missing, Black*Star was caught trying to sneak out of Death City alone by Miss Azusa.

The death scythe scolded the blue-haired meister. He knew the rules of the DWMA after all; one-star meisters were not allowed to leave the city unless they were going on a mission, and all missions had to be accompanied by a weapon partner. His response had been that he wasn't going on an official mission.

"I'm going to bring Kid back," his voice was so much colder than usual, it had left the older woman stunned. "Sitting around here just waiting isn't going to do it. I don't care what Lord Death has said; if he won't give me _permission _to go, I'll do it myself anyway."

When Lord Death found out, he gave Black*Star the longest detention of his life, and instructed Tsubaki to always keep an eye on him in case he tried to run off again.

In many ways, it wasn't really fair on the weapon either, to give her the responsibility of another person as well as trying to keep herself in check. She was going through her own inner-turmoil at the loss of their friend. There was only so much smiling she could do to try and mask her fears. Day by day, her smile had been wearing down, the spark dimming from her indigo eyes. Tsubaki became even more quite; more reserved. She would hardly react any more to jokes and her meister's antics.

Trying to force a smile hurt after a while. Yet all she tried to do was remain calm, serene, and continue smiling even through the darkest times. She had always been the rock of the group; the girl you could turn to if you needed a shoulder to cry on. The friend who supported you no matter what. A surrogate mother in many ways for the rag-tag bunch of students. So she had to keep smiling, for them. Her friends.

Nobody saw any other emotions from her, aside from an obligatory peace. Any inquiries into her well-being were brushed aside with a polite "I'm fine," and that would be that.

(Maka didn't tell anyone, but she did once see Tsubaki hiding behind a row of lockers in the girl's changing room one lunch time. The girl was sobbing silently, the only signs of her state being an occasional faint hiccup as she chocked on tears, and the shuddering of her shoulders up and down).

The Thompson sisters weren't getting along much better. They had both been discharged from the infirmary not long after their return to the DWMA. Since then, Liz had her arm in a sling and Patty had a few stitches on her head. Both sisters would bruised and beaten, yet their injuries hurt much less than the ache inside of them. It wouldn't go away. Without their meister, neither really knew what to do with themselves. The two were rarely out of the Death Room now, spending most of their days in the company of their surrogate father. Nobody really knew what they talked about, and the sisters never said either. But they saw less and less of their friends, and when they did leave the presence of Lord Death, there was a noticeable change in both.

Liz began smoking again. There always seemed to be a lit cigarette hanging out of her mouth, or held in her trembling hand. Rather ironically, it had been Professor Stein who kept badgering her about not getting into such a filthy habit once more. She ignored him, of course, and seemed to find an odd comfort in the toxic fumes. It was almost as though she was trying to numb herself; her feelings and senses; with tobacco.

Patty on the other hand retreated into her childish world, as though trying to escape the harsh realities of life by trying to revert back to her former immature behaviour. Yet no matter how much she skipped down the corridors, no matter how many songs she sang, her footsteps were always that much heavier whilst her voice remained hollow. It was just… odd, to see the childish girl trying so hard to force such a jovial outward appearance, yet failing so obviously as well.

In comparison to her friends, Maka Albarn had remained relatively calm throughout as the weeks slowly dragged by. She, along with her friend and the new student at the DWMA Crona Gorgon, spent most of her time in the school library reading as many books on souls, Lord Death, and the Kishin Asura as they could get their hands on. The two students (plus Ragnarok, who really wasn't any help in the slightest as all he did was complain about being stuck with two nerds) would spend hours in the large, dusty room, slowly but surely making their way through piles and piles of books. When Soul had found his meister cooped up in there, his queries into what she was doing was met with a blunt and firm answer.

"I think there was a specific reason as to why Asura took Kid," Maka had stared matter-of-factly, her eyes never once leaving the page of the book she was engrossed in to directly address her weapon. "You remember how I saw something odd about Asura's soul the night he escaped; how it reminded me of Kid's? I don't know what it is… but I think there's a connection of sorts between them. It made me realise that there must have been a reason for the Kishin to take Kid, aside from him just trying to get at Lord Death."

Soul had raised an eyebrow at that, sitting down beside the pig-tailed girl and peering at the book she was reading. "What do you mean?" Though his tone had sounded bored, he was genuinely interested. He was then given a rather long explanation from his meister, which, when he thought about it, made some sense:

"We all know that Asura was too much of a coward to face Death directly, so why would he take such a risk to abduct his son? From what Liz and Patty told us as well, it seems as though they were deliberately lured into a trap. That's a lot of planning for a random attack, especially from a being which would rather hide than face his enemies directly. From that, we can deduct that Asura planned in advance to somehow get to Kid."

As for why that was, Maka and Crona had yet to find a reason. Their research and investigating did not get them far either; every page they read only seemed to tell them the same things over and over again. Even when Soul agreed to help _and _when Ragnarok finally decided to pull his weight in exchange for sweets, they had no luck in really answering any of the questions raised. None of them could find a definite clue as to their being some sort of link between the Kishin and Grim Reaper aside from the fact they had both been members of the Eight Warlords many centuries ago. Yet, that didn't explain either what Maka had seen – the resemblance between Kid and Asura's souls.

They were hitting walls and getting nowhere. It was frustrating, to say the very least.

* * *

The days dragged by slowly, everyone struggling throughout to remain as calm as possible. It all came to a head about five weeks after Kid's disappearance, however. The group of students were wandering the hallways of the DWMA between classes, a heavy cloud hanging over every single one. Well, everyone except Patty it seemed, who was skipping ahead of the group and singing a nonsensical song to herself about rainbow giraffes and ice-cream. It… frustrated the others, in all honesty. Nobody was really sure how she was able to act so preppy all the time. But still, nobody questioned it. They knew deep down, it was her own way of coping with difficulties. They were not going to begrudge the younger blonde a little bit of happiness where she could find it.

That was the thought mentality shared until Liz suddenly snapped.

"For Death's sake, Patty! Just shut up!" the elder suddenly screamed furiously, clearly unable to deal with her sister's behaviour any longer. She had probably had to put up with it more than their other friends as they lived together. It appeared there was only so much "Patty" even Liz could take in stressful situations. Her sudden outburst, however, caused every member of the group to stop dead in their tracks, stunned into silence. Even Patty herself had hastily stopped and was now staring up at her sister with wide, slightly hurt eyes. "How the fuck can you act so damn happy all the time when our meister is missing?! Don't you give a damn about him at all?!"

For a moment, Patricia's eyes darkened, glazed over by an unknown emotion. The next instant her expression had hardened and her hands were clenched in tight fists at her side as she glared back at Elizabeth. When she spoke, her words were heavy, laced with a dim hiss of anger.

"Well _someone_ here has to try and keep their head up! Sulking and moping isn't going to bring back Kid."

"Neither is _singing_!"

At that point, the two sisters looked completely furious with each other – something the other students had never witnessed before. What was worse was the fact a small crowd had taken notice of the tension unfolding before them; other students of the DWMA stopped and stared, whilst others who walked by kept glancing back over their shoulders to see what was happening. Tsubaki, ever the peace-maker, stepped forward with a soft statement of "Don't fight…", but she was interrupted and ignored when Patty took another step closer to Liz.

"At least I'm trying to stay positive!" the younger snapped in her sister's face, her usually cheery expression having turned sinister. It reminded Liz of a much more fierce an angry Patty; a Patty from the streets of Brooklyn. Liz hadn't seen her get like that in what felt like a lifetime. "_I'm_ not the one who can't seem to deal with anything anymore. You're acting pathetic, _Elizabeth." _

Liz reeled backwards, as though the words physically shook her and forced her body to recoil from the shock. Her full name had been hissed, spat out as though it was a toxic insult of the worst kind. It took a moment for her to recover, but when she did a similar fury began bubbling in her belly. Mentally, she was seething at her younger sister for taking such a tone with her. And she voiced that frustration clearly, not holding back.

"How dare you!" The tone was shrill as she jabbed a finger at the younger girl, ignoring the ever-growing crowd watching them and the uncomfortable expressions worn by their group of friends. "You know that I'm only acting like this because I'm worried about Kid! I miss him–!"

"You're not the only one who misses Kid," Maka interjected. Her eyes had sharpened, face set into a small frown. "We all do. He's our friend too. We understand if you're feeling upset, Liz, but don't take it out on others. Especially not your sister." Her statement caused Liz to whip round in a flash; those angry blue eyes now solely focused on the female meister.

"And you can shut your mouth too!" The screech which came from the older American caused Maka to flinch instinctively, taking a step back. "You were being such a _bitch_ to Kid before he disappeared, and now you expect me to feel sorry for you as well?!"

Soul stepped forward at that point, standing between the two girls to physically separate them and to prevent his partner from getting strangled by an overly-emotional weapon. He was on the defensive, sending Liz a sharp glare and bearing his shark-like teeth when he spat at her: "Don't you dare talk to my meister that way!"

The aggressive weapon simply responded to that by shoving the scythe out of the way with ease, then taking a few more steps forward to effectively back the pig-tailed girl into the wall behind her.

"If _you _care so much, why don't you use your _oh so special_ soul perception and find him for us?!"

"I can't just–!"

Maka's indignant retort was quickly cut off by the sound of something slamming into the wall beside them, followed by the cracking and crumbling of the plaster. Everyone went quiet, blinking in surprise when they saw Black*Star removing his fist from the large crater-like dent he had just created, an ominous aura surrounding him. His expression was dark, hiding a grim and bubbling anger.

"Quit it! You idiots are all giving me a headache!" the blunette yelled at the group, causing poor Crona (who had been hiding behind Tsubaki to avoid the wrath of the angry Liz) to release a small squeak and flinch at the raised tone used by the other meister. "Rather than going on and on about how worried you all are about him, why don't you just all leave and try to find Kid?! I'm the only one who seems to be trying to do _anything_!"

"Yeah, and look how far that got you." Soul snorted. His scarlet eyes rolled up to view the ceiling, clearly showing his annoyance at the entire situation which was unfolding before him. Confrontation, in his mind, was useless. It wouldn't get them anywhere; only drive a further wedge between their friendships. That was a really un-cool thought.

Unfortunately, nobody else seemed to be able to see the absurdity of their predicament. Black*Star seemed up for a fight, in fact, as he gritted his teeth and shot a glare at the scythe.

"Says the one doing nothing but reading books all day."

"They're all arguing. I don't know how to deal with people arguing…" Crona groaned, further retreating behind Tsubaki, who was trying her best to calm down the nervous child and keep an eye on the others to make sure nobody tried to kill each other for no reason.

Without warning, everything seemed to explode. Liz, having been momentarily distracted by Black*Star, turned her attention back to and began yelling at both Maka and Patty, criticising them for their apparent lack of caring. The two girls in question yelled back, standing up for themselves, however it only caused a cacophonous din to begin swelling and filling the hallway. Black*Star and Soul also began throwing insults at each other, their small spat being caused by the scythe telling his best friend that he was acting "like a jerk, which wasn't cool at all." Of course, the narcissist began going on about how he was better than cool, and that a stupid albino weapon was never truly worthy to be his friend.

It was getting ridiculous. The other students of the DWMA could only watch in shock and enthralled interest; after all, it wasn't every day that a soap opera-esque argument played out right in front of them. There was something oddly entertaining about the shouting and panicking going on. Well, that was until a door across the hallway was slammed open, followed by a firm shout which quickly silenced everyone.

"That's enough!"

All eyes instantly snapped in the other direction to take in the sight of a rather annoyed, blonde death-scythe. A single caramel-coloured eye observed the students causing the ruckus, then the irritated expression dropped slightly with a sigh. Miss Marie Mjölnir, a new teacher at the DWMA, shook her head before beckoning the rowdy group into her office.

"All of you, get inside now before you disrupt anyone else," she spoke with a firm voice, yet there was an edge of sympathy to it. A warmth, despite the authority she portrayed. The woman stepped to one side, allowing the group of seven students (eight, if Ragnarok was counted) to enter her office reluctantly. Once they had all filed inside, the Norwegian woman glanced out to the crowd which had accumulated, and shooed them away swiftly before closing the door and indicating for the children to take a seat.

Her room was small, a little cramped, yet homely. The standard teacher desk for planning lessons was shoved into one corner, and the majority of the room was taken up by a large couch plus a few comfy looking chairs, adorned with bright and colourful cushions, huddled around a wooden coffee table. A small kitchenette at the other side of the room was the home of a silver kettle, along with a collection of various cheery mugs. Right over the work surface was a small window which overlooked Death City, allowing natural light from the blazing sun to stream in a warm the room. It was cosy and inviting, making the students all feel instantly comfortable despite their earlier tensions.

Miss Marie offered them all a warm smile when they sat down, before she bustled over to boil up a fresh kettle of water.

"I understand you're all upset," she began softly, her voice emitting an odd comforting sensation. "But you shouldn't lash out at each other like that. As friends, you all need to support each other during a difficult time like this." Marie's words made the group glance at each other awkwardly, Liz sending an apologetic smile towards a flustered-looking Maka. Nobody said anything to each other, yet already the atmosphere between them seemed to have lifted.

Well, all except for Crona, who was just generally nervous around everyone.

Miss Marie returned to the seats a moment later with two fresh cups of warm tea in her hands. "Drink up," she told them whilst passing the mugs to Liz and Patty, before trotting back to pour some more of the soothing beverage for her guests. There was just something about her and the way she spoke: the woman seemed to radiate an air of calm about her which washed over the children and instantly dulled their earlier anger. This lady felt _healthy_, as though her very essence was healing their souls simply by being in their presence.

Had Maka Albarn used her soul perception there and then, she probably would have seen the fact that Marie Mjölnir was using her healing wavelength on the students, letting it soak into all of them to calm their angst.

The woman hummed to herself as she went about pouring another few mugs, satisfied at the comfortable silence which had fallen over her students. The peace was content; pleasant. Nobody really needed to speak after all. They'd probably all lost their voices from shouting so much beforehand anyway.

"Now then, are you feeling any better?" She sat down opposite the children as she posed the question, setting down a tray of the remaining mugs of tea. Maka, Tsubaki and Crona all reached out to take one, whilst Ragnarok made a snitty complaint about wanting cake rather than tea. Soul glanced at his friends, then gave a small nod to the teacher as he also picked up a mug for himself and sipped it gingerly. The warm brew was pleasant and refreshing, much less over-powering than the bitter coffee he was used to having every morning.

"We're sorry if we overreacted," he began sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he spoke. "It wasn't very cool of us. I guess we're all just a bit…"

"…tired… frustrated," Maka sighed, finishing off her partner's sentence for him. The Thompson sisters nodded in unison, agreeing with that comment.

"Worried."

"And sad!" Patty chipped in quickly after her sister.

Marie gave them all a compassionate glance. Her healing wavelength could only fix so much damage; some scars would continue to remain until they healed in their own time. Until things got better. But, she would make an effort to bring a smile to their faces.

After taking a few gulps of her own drink, Marie put down her mug firmly and gave the children a confident smile. "Don't worry," she began reassuringly, making their ears prick up. "Kid is a very talented and strong boy. He'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Lord Death's own flesh and blood can surely stand up to Asura!"

Nobody really knew how to respond to her then. Every single one knew she was trying to be positive and make them feel better, that she was trying to encourage confidence in them. But, they all felt like it was a lie. If Lord Death himself had been so anxious about the situation, why should they feel differently? So, they remained quiet. Maka stared into her tea cup intently, as though trying to search for something inside the brown liquid. The blue-haired ninja was silently brooding as he drank his tea. His weapon fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously, eyes rooted on the floor. The other three weapons were gazing out at the sky through the window, whilst Crona trembled in his seat, muttering about not knowing what to think or how to deal with something.

A sigh escaped Marie, her smile dropping when she was met with a wall of uncommunicativeness. She could only imagine the feelings they shared at that moment, as she herself had never lost someone like they had. It would continue to eat at them until Kid was back safely at the DWMA, that much she knew.

Eventually, once she had finished her drink, the teacher stood up and made her way back over to her kitchenette, giving her students space and time to think. The golden-haired woman hummed to herself once more as she began to wash up her used mug, thoughts roiling in her mind about what she could possibly do to make the situation better. As she was lost in her thoughts, her one good caramel-coloured eye lazily glanced out of the window before her, taking in the view outside.

The sudden sound of china shattering against a hard surface caused the students to jump out of their skin in surprise as Miss Marie released a strangled gasp. Her hands were trembling as she stared out of the window, her eye widened to an impossible size. Panic surged through the students, and Maka quickly leapt to her feet to look out and see what the older woman had seen. When she let out a similar gasp of shock, everyone sprang into action, rushing over and crowding behind the two females to try and see what was going on outside.

A small figure was walking up the huge staircase towards the DWMA, staggering slightly as he ascended. He looked exhausted, his clothes in tatters and his hair dishevelled. Upon reaching the top and final step, the figure paused as though trying to catch his breath, before collapsing into a heap on the paved surface outside.

Liz Thompson released a strange scream at the sight as she ran out of Miss Marie's office, faster than the speed of light. Patty followed straight after, letting out an over-zealous cheer. Everyone else was stunned into silence as though they had yet to fully process what they had all just witnessed. It couldn't be possible… it seemed too good, too _convenient_ to be real. But there was no denying the sight of that midnight-black hair, streaked with three brilliant white stripes across the left side. Somehow, a miracle had occurred.

Death the Kid had returned.

* * *

He simply couldn't believe his luck. It was like a dream, playing out right in front of him. No, it should not have been possible. By all sense of logic and reason, Kid should have been dead. There was just no way Lord Death could fathom such a young and under-developed reaper being able to escape a powerful Kishin like Asura unscathed. Yet here he was, sleeping soundly in the DWMA infirmary. His precious son had come back to him, alive, and in one piece.

The Grim Reaper sat beside his youngest child's bedside, watching him in his peaceful slumber. His chest rose and fell in a steady, calm rhythm, his breaths light and airy. Death could see dark circles under the boy's closed eyes, plus a few small scratches and bruises tarnishing his ivory skin. Aside from that, the child was unharmed, and even those injuries would fade quickly once Kid's body had regained its strength.

To say he was relieved would have been an insanely huge understatement. There were no words which could describe what Lord Death was feeling right at that moment. (His thoughts were confirmed though – Death the Kid really had made Death himself become more human over the years.)

With slight trepidation, Death reached out one large hand to lightly touch his son's head, as though he could only fully believe Kid was actually _there _by physically feeling his presence. However, the moment his hand touched the pale skin, the child stirred in his sleep. Lord Death quickly pulled away, fumbling awkwardly as eyelids fluttered open to reveal a pair of glazed and lifeless eyes. The God felt his soul freeze momentarily.

"Kid…" he breathed.

Said boy sat up slowly, blinking his eyes as though trying to adjust to his surroundings. He said not a word, simply tilting his head to one side to observe his father with a blank and emotionless expression. In that moment, Lord Death suddenly felt very uncomfortable about the way his son was looking at him.

"Are you alright?" the God gently pressed on, yet still he received no reply. Behind his mask, Lord Death frowned. Pulling his chair closer to his son, so tempted just to reach forward and pull him into an embrace, he continued with a soft tone. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"No."

The way that single word was spoken, so blunt at cold, it felt like Death's soul had just been stabbed by ice. Lord Death blinked in surprise, his bewilderment thankfully hidden behind the ivory cartoonish face, but the awkward tension which followed was thick and severe. Death could already see that Kid had built up a wall around himself, around his soul, as though he was trying to keep people out.

In some ways, it was unsurprising. Death could only try to imagine about what his son had been through the last few weeks.

Clearing his throat when he still received no communication from Kid, Lord Death allowed himself to slip into his goofy voice one more. "I'm sure you probably want to see your friends, right Kiddo? They've been worried about you!"

No sooner had Lord Death made that statement, the door to the infirmary was thrown open and a herd of over-zealous weapons and meisters came tumbling in, stampeding over to the flabbergasted reaper sitting up in bed. A blur of colour rushed over to the monochrome boy, and suddenly both Liz and Patty were clinging onto their meister with a bone-crushing hug. Of course, one girl was on either side of him, in order to maintain symmetry and what not.

"Kid! Oh my Death, Kid! We were so worried about you!" Liz babbled loudly whilst tears of elation streamed down her face, her grip on her brother-figure tightening with each word. Patty didn't say anything, just laughed hysterically with pure joy as she nuzzled deeper into her suffocating embrace. Poor Kid didn't really have a chance to react properly; instead the adolescent was wheezing and trying to squirm out of their preposterously tight grips.

"Let go. I can't breathe," the boy managed to choke out, which instantly caused his two weapons to loosen their hold. They didn't let go entirely, however, choosing to remain right by his side as though they feared he would vanish again if they let their grip slip. Kid hardly seemed to notice them, instead focusing on taking gulps of air. Once he had recovered from their affectionate ambush, he frowned and gave Liz a prominent stare. "You stink of cigarettes."

"That's the first thing you notice-?!"

"YOU IDIOT!"

Kid looked up at the cry, just in time for Black*Star's fist to make contact with his face. The boy reeled, falling backwards back onto his mattress whilst the ninja proceeded to attempt to land another punch at his rival. Luckily for Death's son, Tsubaki and Soul were managing to hold the star off.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING, GETTING KIDNAPPED BY THE KISHIN?! _**I'M**_ THE ONE WHO'S SUPPOSED TO SURPASS YOU, NOT SOME CRAZY DEMON GOD!"

"What he means is that we missed you, Kid." Tsubaki laughed nervously, relaxing slightly when Soul was finally able to yank her partner away from the stunned reaper. Kid sat up once more, briefly brushing his arm and smoothing out the crumples in his shirt before turning to face the shadow weapon and offering her a smile. Everyone was used to Death the Kid acting poise, calm, collected, yet they weren't expecting his answer to the Japanese girl to be so… empty.

"Likewise."

It was all he said.

_Likewise._

It was then Maka suddenly noticed how _hollow _his voice sounded, how the smile never quite reached his eyes which had lost their usual brilliant shine. Something wasn't quite right.

Remaining quiet and hoping nobody was watching as her face shifted into a frown of concentration, the girl tried to take a sneak-peek at Kid's soul…

Kid's head snapped in her direction, as though he sensed her perception. His face was neutral, his normal cool and refined expression in tact. Yet his eyes… they blazed with _something _Maka couldn't quite place, as though warning her not to dare attempt to try and see his soul.

There was a barrier up around it. He was hiding something from then.

She gave him an awkward smile and scratched the back of her head, trying to reflect the situation. Kid returned the smile, but his eyes remained just as unnerving.

Soul cleared his throat awkwardly, noticing how the others in the room was glancing at each other, trying to gauge what they all thought about Kid's odd behaviour. Ever the cool guy, however, the scythe remained just as composed as Death the Kid and offered his friend a smile (even if it did look a tad frightening thanks to his sharp teeth).

"We're really glad to have you back, man. It's great to see you again."

"Soul's right!" Maka chipped in with a light and peppy sing-song tone to her voice, taking a step closer to her friend. Standing right beside Lord Death, she briefly glanced in his direction, silently wishing he wasn't wearing a mask so she could see what his reaction to all this was. Unsurprisingly she learnt nothing. Yet the smile remained on her face when she continued speaking. "It wasn't quite the same without you around, Kid."

Patty nodded in agreement with enthusiasm, her voice raised an octave when she all but yelled in his ear "Don't ever leave us again!"

Kid didn't respond.

Clearing her throat and deciding to stand up and support her friend, Maka straightened her back and allowed her smile to grow even wider, masking any other feelings she might have had. Though the situation was odd, one thing was for sure. They all were honestly _happy _their friend was home.

"Kid, we understand if you don't want to talk right now or just need space or… something. Whatever you went through must have been… I don't even _know_ how to describe that." Both Tsubaki and Lord Death nodded in agreement with that statement, whilst Liz and Patty began cuddling their meister once more as though they were trying to elicit a reaction from him. "But we all promise, we'll stand by you no matter what! We're your friends after all."

Even Black*Star raised a thumb's up then. Nobody needed to elaborate further; Maka had summed up everything they had wanted to say in the most simplest of ways. In the next moment, the students were all suddenly piling on top of the black-haired boy, crowding around to hug him despite feeling how he stiffened under their embraces.

No matter what, no matter how many demons they would have to face, they would all support their friend as much as they could. Because that's what friends were for, right? They were the people who dragged you back out of the darkness when you reached your lowest points.

Nobody realised how much their friend wanted them to stay _away_, however. How much he had lost his trust in them.

_How much he wanted them all gone._

Would they be making such promises if they fully understood? Kid doubted it. Humans really were foolish creatures. They put such blind faith in things they didn't understand, yet never really were _loyal_ either. They only acted in such a way to make themselves advance further.

_We'll stand by you no matter what!_

Heh.

Liars.

* * *

"_**Our souls, together with you till the end!"**_

* * *

**AN: **Herp derp awkward arguments/drama and rubbish attempts at throwing curveballs and crap fluffy friendships. I failed at all of those. Sorry if this didn't live up to previous standards. My brain died. That derpy argument scene was (imo) important to include, though. Despite his eccentricities I always felt Kid (along with Tsubaki) was the major calming personality/level-headed one of the group. I think the group would fall apart if he wasn't around. Idk, I'm tired.

Good news by the way. Remember those exams I did? Well my results came out – I got the grades I needed, so I'll be going to my first choice university! …Sorry, you guys probably don't really want to hear about my RL. Just felt like sharing the good news. I'm moving house in the next few days, hence why I tried to update quicker this time. (So much happening in RL at the moment). I will try to churn out another chapter once we're all unpacked. Hopefully. Also whoa, 54 reviews, 32 favourites, and 46 follows when we're only 5 chapters in? I love you guys so much. Thanks for being awesome.

\- lia

**EDIT (18th April 2017): **It's been just under two years since I updated this story... the review numbers have more than doubled which I'm still shocked about. I'm genuinely amazed this fic is still getting traction. Thank you so much to everyone for the kind words and comments. It has been uplifting to see people still are reading my rubbish and actually care about it? Seriously, wow. Thank you.

Reading it over, I'm not exactly very happy with all of this fic? There are many reasons for why there has been no update, and I cannot apologise enough. But lets just say, real life wasn't very kind to me the last two years. It's been difficult. And after finally dealing with stuff and somewhat getting past it all... I discovered I've lost my story outline of this fic. In other words, I've forgotten where I was going with this. I never wanted to abandon this story, and at some point I might get around to rewriting and updating it. If I get any inspiration/can actually work out what I wanted to do in the first place. I am really sorry for leaving the story hanging like this.

In the mean time, I might be posting other fics on AO3 (this is the only story on which I will continue, hopefully), so please check me out over there, under the same username. But for now, this story is on indefinite hiatus. So please, stop asking me to update? I'm sorry, but if I will I shall do it when I can, and pressuring me won't make that happen any faster.

_TL;DR: Lia is a forgetful idiot who may eventually update. But it will take a while. _


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